your duty to God by performing for the most part, and in a general way, the injunctions of the law, or by doing what you might carelessly and inconsiderately flatter yourselves to be your duty; but none even of the most minute and apparently insignificant commands are to be neglected. Numerous and varied as these are, still have they been enjoined by God, and therefore must the whole of them, without exception, be most religiously and most punctually performed. If this, brethren, be the meaning of the advice which Moses imparted to the Israelites, what inference ought we not to deduce from it, who have been freed from the yoke of such burthensome ordinances, and placed under the more perfect, as well as the more mild dispensation of Jesus Christ. It was this incarnate Son of the Almighty God, this unprecedented and most extraordinary prophet, whom Moses had declared that the Eternal Father would in the fulness of time raise up like unto himself;-he it was who declared, undoubtedly in reference to the grievous and burthensome dispensation of the law, that His "yoke was easy and his burthen light." And we all of us know that the few ceremonies of the religion of Christ are a mere nothing, when compared with those to which the Jews were subject. But these, it appears, were to observe and hear all the words which Moses commanded them, if they expected that it would be well not only with them but even with their children after them. On the other hand, it is clear that, if even one of these were wilfully and deliberately

transgressed, they themselves, and their children likewise, would suffer in consequence of the transgression. This principle of justice, which has been established by the Almighty as correct and immutable, is likewise conveyed to us in language to which we are all of us well accustomed: "I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, and visit the sins of the fathers upon the children of the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and shew mercy unto thousands in them that love me." It does not come within the scope of our present purpose, to enquire to what extent the former part of this declaration may be qualified in order to reconcile it to our notions of mercy and justice. We have merely now to contemplate the cause which produces so lamentable an effect as misery to ourselves and to our descendants of three or four generations. In the case of the Israelites, it was the transgression of one out of the many ceremonial ordinances which were imposed upon them. Can we, therefore, suppose that, if few only of these be imposed upon us, we shall escape the wrath of the Most High, if we wilfully and obstinately neglect them, even if we wilfully and obstinately neglect one of them? Such a supposition would be most unreasonable and absurd. Let us proceed, then, to apply the conclusion, to which we have arrived, to the case of ourselves, and, indeed, to the case of all who have been baptized into the Church of their Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

The ceremonies which are for the most part

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observed by the pure and incorrupt branches of the Christian church, on the authority of the sacred volume, are few; but these few may be divided into two classes. The first of these would comprehend such ceremonial rites as have been enjoined us by direct command from Jesus Christ. The second would comprehend such as are observed by Christians as conducive to godliness and in imitation of their Divine Master. In reference to the generality of members of the church of Christ, these ceremonies may be regarded as limited to four. Baptism and the Lord's Supper; confirmation, or the laying on of hands by the bishop; and the practice of publicly worshipping God in the assembled congregation. The first two of these have been enjoined us by the express command of Jesus Christ, in language which must be too well known to need repetition. The latter two are enjoined by an established church, who has received her authority from Jesus Christ; and one, if not both, most certainly in imitation of Jesus Christ himself. But both one and the other are adopted in compliance with the practice and exhortations of those apostles who received their commissions personally from their Divine Lord and Master.

In comparison, then, with the numerous rites and ceremonies which the Israelites were commanded to practise on pain of the just displeasure of the Almighty, those which are enjoined upon the members of the Christian church are few and insignificant; but precisely for this reason is it that it

is of importance that they should be religiously observed. We cannot for a moment suppose that Jesus Christ reduced the number of these ceremonial ordinances for the purpose of affording a sanction to neglect the few that were left. It would be rather reasonable to suppose, that in proportion to the smallness of their number, is the necessity for their observance. And this undoubtedly is the persuasion of no insignificant number who profess themselves to be disciples of Christ. Many persons are so persuaded of the propriety and necessity of attending to the few ordinances of their church before enumerated, that they conform their practice to them agreeably to the manner and the method which the Scriptures enjoin. Baptism and the Lord's Supper; confirmation, and the worshipping of God in the assembled congregation, by many persons are alike observed, according to the injunctions of the Scriptures and their church respecting them. We hear of many people who adhere to the whole of these pious customs, and on the other hand none, at least scarcely any, are to be found who neglect the whole of them. Some, however, there unfortunately are, who content themselves with applying one or more of these to their own personal practice, without in any way devoting themselves to the performance of the remainder : but in order to apply our remarks in a specific manner to the performance or the neglect of the before mentioned religious ceremonies of our church, it may be remarked that baptism is

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always observed, whereas the Supper of the Lord is always neglected by the same description of perConfirmation, likewise, is an ordinance which most people are desirous to undergo; and the worshipping of God in some of those sacred edifices which are dedicated to his service, though by far too much neglected, yet is it practised by many who would not hesitate to keep themselves aloof from another. In brief, to whatever extent some may be performed, the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is a rite which by many people is absolutely and entirely neglected.

To those persons who, having once been admitted into the church of Christ in their infancy, withhold their attention from all such other ritual observances as are enforced with equal authority, it would be almost a loss of time to address any course of argument or instruction whatever, until their hearts shall have been altogether changed, and they shall have shewn a disposition to rouse themselves from the state of lethargy in which they have allowed themselves to sink. The case, however, is by no means so hopeless in respect of that numerous class of individuals who comply with all the ordinances of that church, except that of the Lord's Supper. The reason for treating these two classes of individuals in a manner different and distinct, is selfevident. The former evince a determination to ridicule all the sacred ordinances of their religion, because all are alike neglected by them. The latter, however, inasmuch as the greater part of these