that time to be officiating; and he has since received the most satisfactory assurances, that one who had so long been harassed with objections, and deprived of the consolation and edification of the Ordinances of the Church, is now enabled with rejoicing, and with thankfulness to God, to join in them and partake of them with spiritual refreshment and delight. The circumstance of the Letters being thus attended with a blessing, together with the urgent suggestions of the friend to whom they were addressed, have been the principal inducement to make them public.

The Reader, however, will have the kindness to keep in remembrance, that it is a real correspondence which is here laid before him; not written with any intention of publication-(with the partial exception, however, of the last two letters; which were not written till the publication was decided on.) It calls therefore for all those candid allowances, without which a private correspondence, when laid before the public, cannot be fairly appreciated, or even understood. It is hoped that the nature of the objections will always be sufficiently intelligible from the answers given; especially if taken in connection with the foregoing brief statement of facts. The order and

1 The principal objections replied to in the first four Letters, will be found in "An Exposition of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. In Three Parts. By the Rev. H. Dalton." When the writer supposed that this work was little known, he did not intend to have mentioned it by name; thinking

method have followed, of necessity, the course of the objections which were brought forward; and various digressions which naturally arose, could scarcely be omitted, without entirely re-writing some of the letters. Some pains have been taken in carrying the work through the press, (especially in the addition of a few notes to the latter letters) :-yet the writer is so fully conscious of the many imperfections which attend a work of this kind,—especially under all the circumstances of the publication, (which it is needless here to detail,)---that he feels himself obliged to request, that his readers will do him the favour to read through the whole volume, before they pass judgement upon it :—as it is very probable that particular parts or expressions might be misunderstood, unless taken in connexion with others, which will be found to bear, directly, or indirectly, upon the same points.

But if the volume be taken as a whole, and if due allowance be made for the nature and form of it, it is confidently hoped, that the principles upon which the Church is here defended, will be found indeed the very principles of its Fathers and Reformers. And while the writer is well aware, that subjects

that possibly, the less it was brought into notice, the more hope there might be of Mr. Dalton's return to sound and sober views. But having observed that great efforts have been made to give it publicity and extended circulation, he now deems it necessary to mention it distinctly.

b

might be found, more generally useful, and tending more directly to Spiritual Edification, he yet trusts that this great object is by no means neglected or forgotten in this work. There is a period in the experience of very many Christians, (and perhaps, more especially at the present time) in which it is of great importance to spiritual progress and comfort, that the true principles of the Church of England should be clearly understood; that difficulties and objections should be soundly and fully answered, in accordance with those principles; and that the mind should be satisfied upon the question of Conformity. Let it be granted that the whole question of Ecclesiastical Polity and Discipline is a minor question, when compared with the great, substantial Doctrines of the Gospel, to which the first place is so fitly and judi ciously given in our Articles :—yet it is a common device of the great Enemy of our souls, to perplex the minds of those who are enquiring and conscientious, with doubts and difficulties and endless reasonings upon this minor question; till those great doctrines (and all spiritual Religion as founded upon them) are almost forgotten; and consequently spiritual progress is entirely checked, and spiritual consolation and delight altogether give place to anguish and distress,-or (which is still worse) to carnal strife and contention about things Ecclesiastical (to the utter neglect of things Spiritual,) in which all the evil tempers of the old Adam are called into

fearful exercise, to the great dishonour of the Gospel. The Author therefore wishes it to be clearly understood, that this book is published with a real desire and purpose to promote Spiritual Edification ;—and he trusts that the manner and spirit in which it is written, are not inconsistent therewith, or unsuited to that end.

But this is not all: In an age which is characterized by the multitude of vague, inaccurate, fanciful, and even contradictory notions, which are maintained and propagated by various persons,-all of whom, it is hoped and trusted, are at heart really pious men, -the Minister of Christ (who is really anxious for the spiritual edification and comfort of immortal souls) is not unfrequently encountered by persons, who tell him, in great distress, that on a great variety of points, more or less important, This good man says one thing, and that good man says the contrary;' and they know not which to believe. They have not leisure for much examination or enquiry; and they feel themselves wholly unqualified to judge between them. If such a Minister should undertake to decide (not to mention that it might seem in him very arrogant so to do)—it would in all probability only increase the difficulty and distress under which such persons labour: for they would go away, saying, 'Well then, here is a third, who differs from them both! What are we then to believe? All bring texts and plausible arguments from Scripture, each to prove his point! Is then everything unsettled and

uncertain? Is there no arriving at Truth? Is there no voice to which we may listen, as superior in authority to the individual opinion of this or that good man, though inferior to the divine and infallible authority of the Sacred Scriptures, and duly subjected to the word of God? so that it may fairly be considered as affording a satisfactory confirmation of the views which, as plain and humble Christians, we have gathered from the perusal of the Bible ;as warning us to suspect ourselves, and re-examine, when we are going astray; as deciding between those Ministers, to whom we should, on all such points, be glad to look for instruction, but that we find continually how widely they differ?' What should be replied to such humble and distressed enquirers?

The author would reply in the words of our twentieth Article. He would say, that in humble subjection to the word of God, (as always the final authority to which we must appeal,) it will be profitable and consolatory to the humble Christian to "HEAR THE CHURCH"-to listen to the voice of that holy, universal Christian Church, which is indeed the faithful spouse of Christ, and while she renders all honour and obedience to her Lord, and humbly worships Him, (Ps. xlv. 11.) yet may justly expect her children to honour her as a Mother: for as such He Himself -describes her, (Prov. vi. 20—22, with Isa. liv. 1—5, Rev. xii. &c.) And of this holy, universal, Christian Church-which embraces all those particular Churches