enlarged view of what a Christian is, or should be. It is almost an explanation of the word Christian. In the Bible, the Church of Christ is frequently spoken of as a body, of which the Lord is the Head, and every one calling himself a Christian is a member or part. Therefore, we ought to follow the direction of our Head or Guide, our blessed Lord; and as the members or parts of our bodies all suffer, if one is hurt, and all assist each other, so ought we, being spiritual members of a spiritual body, to be ready to help and assist each other, to bear one another's burdens,'1 feel for each other, and be content with the place assigned to each in the great body of Christ's holy Church, without thrusting ourselves into duties and offices for which we are not intended, neither taking too much upon ourselves, nor neglecting those duties which belong to our respective stations in life."

Jane. "Is it not in one of the Epistles that Christ's Church is described as a body?"

But

Mary. "It is so described more than once. I think the passage you mean must be, either in St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans-'For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office; so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another;' 2 or in St. Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians, where there is a much longer description of the Church of Christ as a body. It is in the twelfth 2 Rom. xii. 4, 5.

1 Gal. vi. 2.

chapter; but I do not remember it sufficiently to be able to repeat the whole passage correctly. I think it begins at the twelfth verse.

Bessy. "Here it is. I have found it in the Bible I took with me to church: For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body.'"

Jane said, that was the passage she meant; and asked if there were not something said in the same chapter about no schism in the body?

"Yes," replied Bessy; and she read from the twenty-fifth verse, as follows: "That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.'"

Jane. "Schism means disputing, or divisions, amongst Christians, I suppose ?"

Mary. "Yes; separating ourselves from the Church, or causing any dissensions in it."

Bessy. "Then we, and all who have been baptized, are members of Christ, children of God, and inheritors of the kingdom of heaven,' as the Catechism says ?"

Mary. "But we must remember that in a sacrament there are two parts, 'the outward and visible

sign, and the inward and spiritual grace;' and that the former, which is the ceremony of baptism, would avail us little without the latter, which is ‘a death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness;' and that these can only be obtained by repentance and faith. Baptism is a covenant which the Almighty condescends to make with all who are admitted into the Christian religion. A covenant is an agreement; and, as you know, in an agreement there must be more than one party concerned. Conditions are made between the parties; and if either party does not fulfil the conditions, the agreement is broken. Now, if even the very best of us consider our baptismal vow, which is our part of this covenant, we shall be obliged to own we have often broken it, and have therefore, as far as our own merits are concerned, forfeited the privileges of baptism."

Bessy. "To be sure; for in all agreements the conditions must be kept. I heard Richard say, a few days ago, talking of a society to which he belongs, that some man, who had been a member of it, was no longer so, because he had not paid his subscription, and when called upon to pay the sum which it had been agreed every member should pay, he could not; consequently, his name was scratched out of the list of members."

Jane. "But it would be dreadful to feel that, having once broken the promises made at our baptism, one was no longer a member of Christ, a child of God, nor could hope to go to heaven."

"You forget, dear Jane," said Mary, taking her hand affectionately, "that our Saviour is at the right hand of God, ever ready to intercede for us. We should, indeed, be miserable, if it were not that our blessed Saviour has made an atonement for our sins. If we have faith, and trust in Him as our Redeemer, we may be sure that our sins are pardoned, and through His merits we may still be members of His Church. Children, erring children, we all are, but still children of God, and through His grace inheritors of the kingdom of heaven. We feel that, through the weakness of our human nature, we cannot keep God's commandments, nor walk in His ways all the days of our life; and this compels us to seek, with true repentance, which is requisite as well as faith, for mercy and pardon at the feet of Jesus. St. Paul says truly, 'The law was our schoolmaster, to bring us to Christ.'"1

A silence of some minutes ensued, which was broken by Jane asking her cousin,

"Do you think those people that die unbaptized cannot be saved?"

66

Never, Jane," replied Mary, "would I dare to give an opinion on such a subject; it would be so nearly approaching to passing judgment upon a fellow-creature. We know that with God all things are possible. He can see what we cannot; and His judgment must be right, whatever it may be. It is sufficient for us, that our Saviour Christ has given us 1 Gal. iii. 24,

these two sacraments of Baptism and the Supper of the Lord, with His command to observe them; and, therefore, if we neglect either, we are inexcusable, and wilfully withdraw ourselves from all the spiritual blessings which our Saviour graciously designed these outward visible signs should be the means of conveying to us. We may safely abide by what the Church teaches us, unless we find it teaching anything contrary to what the Bible teaches. And that we never shall find, for the Church takes the Bible for a guide, and teaches nothing that has not the word of God for its authority."

Jane observed, that the encouragement to read and study the Bible proves the confidence the Church has that all she teaches is from the Bible.

Then there was another pause, which was this time followed by an inquiry from Bessy:

"We are permitted to call ourselves 'children of God,' from our Saviour instructing us to call God our Father,' in the Lord's Prayer, are we not?"

In many

Mary. "Yes. And St. Paul says, 'Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.'1 parts of the Bible, the term 'children of God' is used; and in another epistle St. Paul says, 'If children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ.'

Bessy. "I never can quite understand what is the meaning of being heirs of God. I know that the young lord at Corran Park is Lord Corran's heir, and 1 Gal. iii. 26. 2 Rom. viii. 17.