ported by pillows, in a state of complete weakness and exhaustion; yet, when she saw me, she attempted to speak; but her words were too faintly uttered to admit of their being understood. This was a great loss. She was a good woman; and was now upon the confines, as it were, of the two worlds; and might look into both, and give us an edifying account of the vanity of the one, and the solidity of the other. I entreated her not to fatigue herself unnecessarily with any endeavour to converse with me; especially as I was satisfied as to her fitness in every respect for the sacred rite about to be celebrated; I knew that she believed, and that her practice, allowing for human infirmity, was correspondent to her belief. Considering the case as one of urgency, I used my discretion in shortening the forms; and having soon concluded, I kissed her hand and withdrew. conduct throughout was not like that of an inhabitant of earth, but of heaven, to which she seemed already to belong. She lived, however, for a considerable period afterwards, sometimes better, sometimes worse; and having been removed from my parish for a change of air, she died at a distance from me, and is now, I trust, amongst the blessed spirits above.

Her

§ 2. Mrs. Brereton.

Nor having observed Mrs. Brereton at Church for several Sundays, and having enquired of the pew openers, if they knew the cause of her absence, I was informed that she had been ill, and was gone

into the country, to a more retired and quiet place, to try the effect of a change of air and scene. Her situation, although she had no children of her own, was a responsible and laborious one, as she was the wife of a master-manufacturer, who had many apprentices in his family; her constitution was delicate, and our climate relaxing. The change, however, as I learned in the evening of the same day, had done no good; and she was returned, as they supposed, to die at home; all hope of saving her life having vanished. In fact, her disorder was a rapid decline.

It was rapid indeed, and brought to my mind very forcibly the extreme uncertainty of human things. I had seen her, no long time ago, in the full enjoyment of youth and health; her person was beautiful, and her manners correspondently pleasing. This added to the seriousness of my meditations, and to my commiseration of her present circumstances; but God knows best how to govern his own world, and he is as merciful as he is wise. I was shocked; but I reposed in him.

No message had been sent to summon me to the sick bed; bnt I was impatient to do something in so extraordinary a case; being confident, indeed, from my general experience, that even a few words, and still more a prayer, might be a comfort and consolation to her in her last moments. In truth, it was but my usual practice, in less striking cases, to call unsummoned at the houses of sick persons; and, having ascertained the state of their health, if I saw an opening for any thing further, to proffer my official assistance.

I did so now. My first interview was with Mr. Brereton's cousin, who was watching over the ma

nufactory, during the necessary attendance of the poor husband himself in his wife's sick chamber. He informed me immediately that Mrs. Brereton had been brought up a Baptist; that since her residence here she had been a regular attendant at my Church, although not at the altar; and that probably she would have continued steadily in communion with us, had it not been for her sickness, which had brought her own family about her; and thus revived her former persuasions. "And this was the reason, Sir," he said, "why my cousin has not sent to you. His situation is one of great delicacy. He is very averse from all interference with the religious opinions and practices of his wife; and he is besides unwilling to give any offence to her mother and other relations."

It was unreasonable to object to this statement ; and I therefore merely asked whether any Baptist Minister was in attendance upon her. "I think not," was his answer. "Some time ago, a man of eminence in that sect, an inhabitant of the neighbouring parish, came to visit her, at the desire of her family; but he seems to have discontinued his visits now, when I should suppose she might want them them most; and my cousin is much disconcerted with his apparent negligence."

Under these circumstances of absolute spiritual destitution, I thought it my duty to offer my services, both to pray with her, and to administer the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper; and I desired to see Mr. Brereton himself, to converse with him on the subject, if it were possible. In a short time he came to me; but he seemed extremely reluctant to embrace my proposal: he expected, as he said, the

Baptist Minister, that very day; and he thought his wife so ill, and so little in possession of her faculties at that moment, having just recovered from a convulsive fit, that he deemed her incapable of any religious act whatever.

It was difficult for me to interfere further; especially as the Baptist Minister was said to be coming, under whose charge her family had placed her. However, I prolonged the conversation, talking about the opinions of the Baptists; and then, to my amazement, I discovered that this poor dying lady had never been baptized at all. "What? I asked, expressing my sorrow and surprise by my tone and manner; is it possible, that she should have been permitted to approach so nearly to the close of her existence, and that no provision should have been made for the performance of the holy rite of baptism?"

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"The Baptists," said Mr. Brereton, " do not seem to value that ordinance, as we do."-" Alas!” I continued, "there is so much fluctuation in the principles of almost all the sectaries, that you scarcely know what they are at any particular moment. The distinction of the Baptists from the other sects used to be, not that they omitted baptism, but that they administered it to persons of riper age, and by a complete immersion in water. In this case, it is needless to argue about the propriety of infant baptism. Poor Mrs. Brereton must be allowed to be of riper age, and fully prepared for the ceremony, both by her knowledge, and by her life and habits. And surely they cannot require a complete immersion, when it is physically impossible, or when death might be the consequence. Do they think it so

essential, that the sacrament would be void without it? Or what mode have they adopted for the sick, lest they should die unbaptized? Although it is very certain that a complete immersion was the usual practice, where there was abundance of water for the purpose; yet it is by no means certain that it was considered indispensable. On the contrary, it is scarcely credible that the three thousand persons converted on the day of Pentecost could have been baptized in that manner; and, in the case of a single family, that of Cornelius for example, the expression would naturally lead us to suppose that water was brought into the apartment where the family was assembled. St. Peter seeing the Holy Ghost bestowed upon them, exclaimed eagerly, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized?' I feel confident, therefore, in my own mind, that these persons were all baptized, by pouring water upon them, and not by dipping them. Undoubtedly, to dip,' is the true sense of the expression, 'to baptize;' and such a practice was extremely easy, where there were rivers, or lakes, or baths, at hand; and also perfectly safe, in a hot climate, where bathing was in consequence a familiar custom of the people. But baptism must have been administered again and again, where immersion was impossible; and in our cold climate it would in general be positively dangerous. It is indeed a known fact, (I know the fact myself,) that persons have died in this country in consequence of diseases caught by immersion: Upon the whole, therefore, the present practice amongst ourselves of sprinkling only, is both neces→ sary, and reasonable, and not inconsistent, as a symbol, with the end proposed. Thus, Sir, I have