ye Lord, having washed the feet of his difciples, afterwards addreffed them in this manner: "Know what I have done unto you? Ye call me Master and Lord, and-fo I am. If I, then, your Lord and Master, have wafhed your feet, ye alfo ought to wash one another's feet: for I have given you an example, that ye fhould do as I have done to yout." Can any thing fo clear, or fo pofitive, be produced in favour of the Lord's Supper, or even of Water Baptifm? nevertheless, we do not hear of this practice, thus plainly enjoined, being recommended at this day, at least by Proteftants, as a Chriftian duty. And why? Because it is con→ fidered, as we confider the others, of a local or temporary nature. If a church or congregation of Christians can in one cafe, dispense with the use of a religious ceremony, it certainly has the fame right to do fo in another. The washing of the feet was a mark of humility, as the fupper was of love; and where the thing fignified is felt and acted upon, the emblem might, in our apprehenfion, be either ufed or difufed, as Chriftians may confider most conducive to the real advantage of the church. We believe, however, that retaining these ceremonies has, in general, a tendency to settle the minds of the profeffors of Christianity in unneceffary forms; and to prevent their afpiring fufficiently after the practice of real and vital Chriftianity. The importance attached to this ceremony, we conceive, juftifies our apprehenfions in this refpect; and the abufe which frequently attends its ad + John xiii. 12, 13, 14, 15. cafe, as in We doubt miniftration, muft, we think, in this that of Baptifm, greatly exceed its use. not the fincerity and piety, with which this ceremony is frequently adminiftered and received; yet we conceive, that the true Lord's Supper requires no fuch elementary mediums as bread and wine for its participation; but that it is the fame, and the qualification to receive it the fame, as is pointed out by this language to one of the churches: "Behold, I ftand at the door, and knock if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will fup with him, and he with me*." This inward communion, this fpiritual participation of the Lord's Supper, is that which we wish to promote the experience of, among the profeffors of Chriftianity; believing with the apostle, that "the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghoft: for he that in these things ferveth Chrift, is acceptable to God, and approved of men.+" : Our diffent from the generality of Christians, on the fubjects of Water Baptism and the Supper, and our difufe of these and other ceremonies, have brought upon us much cenfure from our fellow Christians ; fome of whom have even denied us a right to that name, conceiving that we could not be fincere believers in Chrift. But our difufe of thefe ceremonies is fo far from proceeding from any inferior views of Chriftianity, that it arifes from our very high opinion of it; on which + Rom. xiv. 17 & 18. *Rev. iii. 26. ground we cannot reconcile thefe external rites to the fpirituality of the gospel-difpenfation. We believe in Chrift Jefus, the Saviour of men; we believe that he has "abolished in his flesh, the enmity, even the law of commandments, contained in ordinances";" that "he washed us from our fins in his own blood+;" and that he is "our paffover, who is facrificed for us." CHAPTER VII. ON THE RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE OF DAYS AND TIMES. Exemption from Cenfure claimed for their Non-obfervance. The Obfervance difapproved by the Apostle Paul.-More injurious than beneficial to Religion, especially Festivals. Setting apart one Day in feven approved.-On public Fafts, &c.-Conclufion from Rom. xiv. 5, &c. WE truft that, both on this and the preceding fubject, we may claim that exemption from cenfure, which the apoftle granted to the church at Cotoffe : Let no man judge you in meat or in drink, or in respect of an holy-day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days, which are a fhadow of things to come; but the body is of Chrift.§" By the law of Mofes, many days and times were * Eph. ii. 15. + Rev. i. 5. f Col. ii. 16. +1 fet apart for the commemoration of various extraordinary circumstances, and for other confiderations connected with that dispensation. Some of these were, for a time, obferved by the primitive Chrif tians, especially by the Jewish converts, whofe attachment to their law (as has already been obferved), not only induced them to retain many of its ceremonies, but alfo to endeavour to impofe them on the Gentile Christians. This the apoftle Paul was particularly concerned to break through, and to affert the freedom of the gofpel difpenfa tion, from the obligation of these legal observances; and though he wished the believers not to judge one another, either for observing, or not observing days and times; yet he could not but confider it an unfavourable fymptom in the Galatians, that they fhould, after having laid them afide, return to the obfervance of them: "How turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye defire again to be in bondage? Ye obferve days, and months, and times, and years: I am afraid of you,. left I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.”* Unless thofe who are in this practice, can prove fome command or injunction for it in the New Teftament, of which I know not any, I conceive but little more need be faid on this fubject. If any think the obfervance tends to promote piety and virtue, we would not judge those who are inclined to make this use of it: but I apprehend it is a fact of too much public notoriety, not to be acknowledged, that obfervances of this kind,. * Gal. iv. 9, 10 & 11. particularly the festivals, are in general fo conducted as to promote diffipation and intemperance, much more than piety and virtue; and, therefore, in every point of view, we think we are well warranted in laying such observances aside. We however confider the fetting apart of one day in feven for ceffation from bafinefs, and for religious fervices, no more than a reasonable duty; and we encourage the obfervance of it among our members. It has been our practice from the commencement of our religious fociety; and although we do not confider the First (or any) day of the week, as poffeffing a fuperior degree of holinefs; yet we believe considerable advantages to religion and virtue arife, not only from a proper dedication and employment of it, but even from the imperfect obfervance, with which it is on the whole regarded. We are alfo fenfible that the duties of humiliation and thanksgiving are frequently incumbent upon us; yet, from the conviction that the qualification to perform thefe duties, fhould proceed from a higher fource than man, we do not confider it right to unite with those who fet apart particular times, and adopt fet forms, for these purposes. Befides this general reason, the occafion is often fuch as we can, by no means, join with. When war, or the fucceffes or defeats attendant upon it, are the occafion of public thanksgiving or humiliation, our fentiments on the inconfiftency of war. with the fpirit of Chriftianity, prevent our uniting in prayer or praises for victories which involve the deftruction of our fellow-creatures; and by |