Baptism implied ablution of impurity; and even the baptism of St. John seems to have conveyed remission of sins. "John baptised in the Wilderness, and

preached the baptism of repentance "for the remission of sins *." There can be no doubt but that the baptism of Christ was in every respect more efficacious than the baptism of his harbinger. Christ himself declares, "Except a man "be born of water and of the Spirit, he "cannot enter into the kingdom of "God +:" and St. Peter said, " Repent "and be baptised every one of you, in "the name of Jesus Christ, for the re"mission of sins, and ye shall receive the "gift of the Holy Ghost +."

The efficacy of the two Sacraments may be illustrated by their analogy. Baptism conferred pardon of sins committed before admission into the church of Christ; and the Eucharist confers pardon of sins committed afterwards; renewing our first engagements, made at our baptism, from time to time, during the whole of life.

Mark, i. 4. t John, iii, 5.

t Acts, ii. 38.

It was mercifully ordered, that the decays of virtue, which, from the corruption of human nature, might happen after the first sacrament, should be repaired, as occasion required, by the second. Among the benefits of the second is the remission of sins committed after baptism; as among the benefits of the first is the remission of sins committed or entailed, before baptism. The Eucharist was designed in consideration of the misery and infirmity of man, as a continual renewal or confirmation of baptism. The obedience of no man, it may be presumed, is perfect after baptism; and therefore to no man does the Eucharist become unneces sary, from the circumstance of his having received remission of sins by his baptismal initiation.

It is indeed said, and truly said, that "None can forgive sins but God*." Neither does the doctrine that sins are remitted in and by the Sacraments contradict this assertion; for it is God who remits sins by the mysterious instrumen

* Mark, ii. 7.

tality* of these holy ordinances: and when the Absolution in the Communion Service is read, it is a pardon delivered to the repenting sinner from the King of Kings, by the hands of his servant who ministers at the altar, the commissioned messenger of a reprieve.

But I beg leave to observe, that this remission of sins has only a retrospective operation. The sinner may relapse after Communion; and, without repentance and repeated communion, the remission may be retracted, and he may finally fail of obtaining pardon. But I should think that to the DYING complete remission of sins is so far fixed and ascertained by the Eucharist, (since men, in that state, can scarcely be in danger of a relapse,) as to afford them just cause of consolation, arising from a firm and well-founded, but

"The Sacrament is an instrument; not a physical, but a moral instrument of Grace, and APT to convey, rather than actually and infallibly conveying it; the actually conveying of that grace, depending on the mere disposition of the party receiving it; who, as St. Paul speaks, if he be not rightly qualified for it, will rather reap damnation by it, than either the divine graces, or the rewards of them."-TOWERSON.

1

humble hope and confidence. And surely it is inconsistent with benevolence to rob them of this last solace, by labouring (against fair inferences of Scripture, and the general opinion of great and good men in all ages of Christianity) to convince the unhappy sufferers, that there are no present benefits, no present grace, no present remission of sins conferred by WORTHILY partaking of the Lord's Supper.. And be it ever remembered, and without exception understood, that an UNWORTHY partaking is no partaking AT ALL. It is an impious mockery, and must provoke rather than conciliate,

I will add something from the opinion of the Antients, men unspoiled by the pride of reason, concerning the remission of sins, as a present benefit of the Communion.

That the antient church considered remission of sins as a present benefit of the Eucharist, seems evident from the practice which prevailed of admitting those who had incurred its censure to the Lord's Supper after penance; by partaking of which, the criminals were en

tirely acquitted, not only in the sight of the church, but, as was supposed, of God; for they were immediately admitted to all the privileges of those who had never offended, and considered as cleansed, purified, and in a state of holiness and grace.

Some, indeed, of the ancient writers on the Sacrament, have not mentioned remission of sins as annexed to it; probably because it was a doctrine of such public notoriety as to render the particular mention of it superfluous, at the early period at which they wrote; when much of the Christian doctrine was certainly known by uniform and indisputable TRADITION.

The Clementine Liturgy, the most antient that remains, supposed to be more than fourteen hundred years old, and probably formed from earlier Liturgies, contains a prayer that those who partake of the Communion, may obtain, as the just and legitimate consequence of it, remission of their sins. Several succeeding Li-, turgies have similar petitions, And it is by no means to be concluded from those that have them not, that the doctrine of eucharistical

I 4