sence. During the last twenty years the doctrines and writings
of the Reformation in general have been the subject of extensive study
by the reviving church in Germany, and as is natural, a small portion
of the churches have embraced the symbolic view of this doctrine in
full, and have become known as Old Lutherans, whilst others, both there
and in this country, have embraced various modifications of it. But the
great body of the ministers and churches regard the real presence of
the _body_ and _blood_ of the Saviour, in any proper sense, which the
words convey, as a misapprehension of the word of God.

_The supposed special Sin-forgiving Power of the Lord's Supper_.

On this subject, important as it is, especially to the masses of the
less educated, who are most liable to these erroneous views, but little
need be said in addition to the principles established on the subject
of the sacraments in general. The word of God clearly inculcates the
doctrine, to which Luther and his coadjutors gave such prominence, that
no one can be justified or pardoned except by a living faith in Christ,
and such a faith is found only in the regenerate mind. And whenever the
sinner exercises this living faith in Christ he is justified, that is,
his sins are pardoned, he is in a _state of justification_, and
continues in it, until by deliberate, voluntary violation of God's law,
he falls from grace. Now, every communicant either possesses this faith,
or he does not. If he does, he is justified or pardoned before he
communes; if he is destitute of this faith, his communing cannot justify
or pardon him; for man is justified by faith alone. Yet are there
thousands of church members who afford no satisfactory evidence of
regeneration, or of that faith which works by love, and purifies the
heart, and overcomes the world; who, because they approach the
sacramental table with seriousness and sincerity, and perhaps with some
sorrow for their sins, believe that they obtain pardon for their
transgressions, and yet still continue in their unregenerate state. It
cannot be said that the symbolical books clearly teach the above error,
but they are not sufficiently guarded, and are understood by many as
inculcating the doctrine, that a sincere and devout participation of
the Lord's Supper secures the pardon of sin, even where satisfactory
evidences of regeneration are wanting, the persons referred to
mistaking a mere historical belief for a living faith. H