[ 74 ]
away, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucified to themselves the son. of God afresh and put him to an open shame." You will please to observe what this great sin is of denying of the Holy Ghost. This is the power of God, for what is a man without power, for we have sinned against the father, for this cause he sent his only begotten son to redeem ns and we sinned against him. The third is the Holy Ghost. We are not to deny that power, for that is the way that God defends his children by his power and his grace is to preserve them, and if we deny the son we have no power, it is by him we get this power. It was asked by what authority he did these things or gave this authority, and he answered very beautifully. "I will also ask you one thing, and answer me, the baptism of John, was it from heaven or of men. They reasoned with themselves, saying, if we shall say from heaven he will say why then believe ye him not; but if we say of men, the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet. They answered, that they could not tell from whence it come, and Jesus saith unto them, neither tell I you by what authority I do these things." Now when they heard these things, knowing their hearts being evil they trembled on occount of their guilty conscience, and they finding themselves so completely confounded, they could not answer him. And now itwould be well for us all to consider the case well, for our own safety, least we should be found speechless in the great day of eternity.
And now I will give a short history of a certain gentle-man in a distant land where I travelled, that went to the church and saw the minister delivering the sacrament, and he was filled with laughter. He and his company returned home and said that he intended to go through the same exercise. He got his bread and wine and said that he could do it as the minister; he went into a room with his company and shut the door, and places his bread and wine on the table, got his book and went through theceremonies, then all knelt down, as he saw it done, and after his prayer, he then gave his bread and wine, saying this was Christ's body which was broken for you, also the wine, drink this in remembrance of Christ's blood which was shed for you and for many others, for the
