conviction of the magnitude of that love wherewith his heavenly Father hath loved him.

Such are the power and effects of this exalted Christian mystery, which, if a man has not received, he has no hope of salvation; not on account of his not having been plunged in water, but because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God; for the words of the gospel remain unalterable. John iii. 5. "Except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."

In the baptism of infants, in place of their own faith, that of their parents and sureties serves, and is effectual. *

*The ordinance of baptism is either performed in the church or in a private house, and the prayers, exorcisms, and cere monies attending its administration, are long and complicated. The Greeks and Russians always use the trine immersion; the first in the name of the Father, the second of the Son, and the third of the Holy Ghost. When a priest cannot be obtained in cases of extremity, they permit lay baptism, and never rebaptize on any account whatever. The number of sponsors is not fixed. If a boy, he generally has two godfathers and one godmother; if a girl, two godmothers and one godfather; but there may be either fewer or more. The sponsors are not allowed to marry their godchildren, and they consider themselves as related to each other, in consequence of the conjoint obligations they come under on the part of the child.

M

XXXII.

Of the Chrism.

The Chrism is a mystery in which, by the d nointing of different parts of the body with ointment, there is communicated to the baptized person spiritual ointment, that is, the gift of the Holy Ghost.

This mystery is performed soon after baptism, by the servant of Christ, who, in anointing the chief parts of the body, pronounces these words: The seal of the gift of the Holy Ghost. Through this holy ordinance, the Holy Ghost descendeth upon the person baptized, and confirmeth him in the grace which he received in his baptism, according to the example of his descending upon the disciples of Jesus Christ, and in imitation of the disciples themselves, who, after baptism, laid their hands upon the believers; by which laying on of the hands of the apostles, the Holy Ghost was visibly conferred. Acts viii. 17, 18.

Our church also uses the ordinance of the chrism when any Christian, who has had incorrect views of the faith, is received among the true believers, and by this visible ceremony he is admitted among the members of our pious and orthodox society.*

* The chrism, though a distinct mystery, is always administered immediately after baptism, and is properly the con

XXXIII.

Of the Eucharist.

The Eucharist, or Communion, is a mystery in which, under the sign of bread, the body of Christ itself, and under the sign of wine, the blood of Christ itself, are communicated to believers for the remission of sins, and unto life eternal.

This most eminent Christian mystery, according to the account of the divine Paul, was instituted by the Lord himself, in the following manner" For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat; this is my body which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft

firmation of the Greek church. This mystery is performed by the priest anointing the baptized person with holy ointment, with which he makes the sign of the cross on his forehead, eyes, nostrils, mouth, ears, breast, hands and feet, repeating these words at each sign: "The seal of the gift of the Holy Ghost." This ointment is composed of upwards of twenty different ingredients, and is prepared and consecrated with great ceremony, once a year, at Moscow, by a bishop, on Thursday, in Passion week.

For as

as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come." 1 Cor. xi. 23-26.

After the institution of this mysterious supper, our Lord said to his disciples, Luke xxii. 16. "I will not any more eat thereof until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God." That is, this supper is a kind of foretaste of that heavenly supper, at which all true believers in me shall enjoy inexpressible blessedness. And the disciples having received with gratitude the saving instructions of their Master, this holy ordinance was appropriately ended by the singing of a divine hymn.

This instituted mystery belongs to the whole church; for that command of the Lord, "This do in remembrance of me," which was given to the disciples, respects all Christians; and the Saviour more particularly and clearly pointed out, in the words, "till I come," that this holy ordinance should be observed till that very time when he himself shall come again to judge the quick and the dead. Hence it is clearly evident, that the church of Christ should not observe this mystery in any other way than that in which her head, the Lord Jesus Christ, observed it. He took into his most pure hands bread, also the cup with wine in it, and having given praise, he bles

sed them, and gave thanks to our heavenly Father afterwards, having broken the bread into pieces, he divided it amongst his disciples: in like manner, he commanded all to partake of the

cup.

Exactly in this way our orthodox church ordains; for being assembled in the holy temple as in Zion's court, we begin the praise of God by singing psalms: then, after reading certain passages out of the Holy Scripture, the servant of Christ, according to our Lord's example, blesseth and giveth thanks to our heavenly Father, that is, enumerates all his benefits to the children of men, and particularly that he sent his only begotten Son, and delivered him up for us all : And for this, in the name of the whole church, he offers up most sincere thanksgivings. After having thus sanctified the holy gifts by the invocation of the Holy Ghost, he partakes of the communion himself, and then distributes unto all the communicants, who partake of both signs. I know not, therefore, what answer the superstitious Pope will be able to give, at the awful day of judgment, for having, in evident opposition to the words of the Lord, taken away the cup of communion from the common people, and for giving them the communion only in unleavened wafers. In communicating, every true Christian ought