from the grace and mercy of God, whom our Lord Jesus Christ hath called, and to whom He extends His rich blessings.

In order therefore that we may do all in our power to promote their soul's salvation, we will now receive the profession of their faith, and their consecration of themselves to God and His Church, comforting them with the promise of divine grace and the assistance of the Holy Ghost, and finally supplicate God graciously to complete the work which He has so mercifully begun in their hearts.

(Then follows a summary of the Heidleberg Catechism, of which we have a sufficiently full and accurate translation in the well-known Compendium, to render a translation and insertion of it unnecessary in this place.)

This profession of faith being made, the confirmants shall approach the altar, and each one answer and pledge himself in the following questions.

I. N. N., do you believe heartily all that you have here professed in answer to the questions which have been asked? Answer, Yea.

II. Do you renounce the devil and all his works and ways, and all worldly wickedness? Ans. Yea.

III. Do you hereby solemnly devote yourself to the obedience of Christ and His Church, according to the word of God, and promise to grow in faith, and knowledge, and piety, and persevere in so doing against all temptations until by the grace of God you reach a blessed end, faithfully holding to all that you have here professed?

Ans. Yea: By the grace and assistance of our Lord Jesus Christ.

When this answer is given, they shall confirm the vow by extending to the minister their right hand, who shall then, laying his hands upon each one, say:

May God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, grant unto you His grace, defend and protect you against all sin, strengthen and confirm you in all piety, for the sake of the merits of our only Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Address to the Confirmants.

Having now made a profession of your faith, and solemnly vowed that it is your firm purpose to live consistently with this faith; you may approach the table of the Lord, if you really

hunger and thirst after this spiritual food, and heartily propose henceforth to live godly in Christ Jesus. Only consider well that God is a true and faithful God, Whom it becometh us to serve in spirit and in truth. You have been already incorporated with Christ and His Church by Baptism, and are thereby obligated to serve God all the days of your life. But now you have with full knowledge and personal consent confirmed this obligation, and shall accordingly be admitted to the holy sacrament. Be not deceived, God is not mocked. Should you not remain faithful in the knowledge of the truth; or deny the same by a sinful life; your condemnation will be the more dreadful, seeing that you know the will of the Lord, and have so solemnly bound yourself unto it, and yet have not done it.

God Himself, and this congregation is witness to your promise, and you will be required to give account thereof in the last day. Wherefore see to it that you pay your vows. Think not that you are already perfect, but press onward that you may grow in knowledge and in grace unto perfection in the Lord.

Further address to the Congregation.

And may you, Beloved in the Lord, be this day reminded of the covenant which you have made with God. Receive these young Brethren and Sisters, into closer christian fellowship, as fellow guests at the table of the Lord, and seek to promote your own and their salvation. And as this is not a matter of human power and skill, it may well become us to call upon God for the assistance of His Holy Spirit, that He may graciously finish the work which He has begun in our souls.

(The service is then closed with prayer. Of this we are unable to give a translation, as a greater part of it also is missing.)

Concluding Remarks.

Before taking leave of this good old Liturgy, we may indulge in giving expression to a few thoughts naturally and forcibly suggested by the extracts which have now been presented.

1. And first of all a book like this must possess unusual interest, if regarded merely in an historical point of view, as furnishing a specimen and type of the moral and religious character of the Church producing it, and of its full ability to meet

the demands of religious life and worship. An abstract theological system, or church organization, however beautifully inscribed and laid out on paper, is not worth much, if upon practical application it is found inadequate to the daily wants of religious culture. It may be greatly admired as a masterpiece of ecclesiastical clock-work, when contemplated in a quiescent state. But the regret and ridicule into which this admiration will be resolved, will thus be only the more bitter and biting, when, upon trial, it is discovered that the mainspring is wanting, and indeed that the mechanism is such as will admit of none. Now the ecclesiastical and dogmatical histories of those times tell us most accurately what was the theory of the Reformers in reference to church doctrine and polity, and how this theory proved itself to be something more than a mere dead abstraction by its more general and manifest operations. But this does not altogether satisfy the curiosity of the inquiring mind. Before a system of religion can be entitled to the christian name, it must show its adaptation not merely to general but individual wants, it must prove itself adequate not merely to the task of managing the ark, but of providing for those within it. The christian religion is general and individual, universal and also most minutely particular in its spiritual arrangements and provisions. And the best proof of genuineness which any professedly christian system can give, is honest resemblance to this characteristic feature of Christianity.

Such now is the proof in favor of the Reformed system of the christian religion, presented by the Old Liturgy before us. It furnishes us with a fair, and, to every member of the Reformed Church, a most flattering specimen of the complete adaptedness of that system, to all the purposes of congregational and individual worship, and personal piety. And we may assuredly be indulged for exhibiting no little gratification, in being permitted to claim blood-affinity with this excellent and thoroughly evangelical system, and cherishing most hearty predilection for it. Surely the German Reformed Church of 1850, has no reason to be ashamed of springing from such stock as this! Nor have we any reason for yielding place, excepting through gratuitous politeness-to any other system, springing forth contempor

aneously with this, from the evangelical agitations of the XVI century!

Through this Liturgy we may look, as through an open window, in upon the practical religious life of our Church in the first years subsequent to the deliverance of long-imprisoned Christianity. We may here see our earlier fathers and brethren in the Lord at their devotions. Other books have told us how vigorously they could contend for the truth on the stage of theological debate-how valiantly they could even fight for it on the battle-field. In other books we learn how clearly they could define their religion as a system of doctrine, and how firmly they could base it on the true foundation. Here we can learn how piously, intelligently, and heartily their Religion taught them to pray, how simply, yet scripturally and instructively it ena. bled them to administer the holy sacraments, and perform the other consolatory services of the Church. And certainly none can stop to look in at this window, and listen to these holy devotions, without" taking knowledge of these men that they have been with Jesus and learned of Him," or saying in their heart "surely God is in this place!"

2. In immediate connection with this, the great contrast exhibited between this system of worship, and that of the nominally christian church which had just been forsaken, cannot fail to excite attention. We here see that the conflict and separation was not merely one of abstract theology, carried on by members of the schools, but one of practical worship, in which individual christian devotion was most intimately concerned. And thus viewed how utter and decided is the separation, from every thing that savors of popish superstition: We see nothing like an attempt at compromise. The flood of light which brake in through the thick darkness that so long had veiled truth and worship, revealed on the one hand abominations which had usurped the place of righteousness and piety, which our Reformed fathers gladly denounced and renounced, and on the other hand a pure & heavenly system which they most heartily and unqualifiedly preferred. There was no lingering to look back-no desire to gather up and carry a few sacred relics with them. Of such relics

as could be had, full enough would cling to head, and heart, and hand, without special effort to gather and preserve them! And so while the door of escape stood open, they would be off -even though for the time but thinly clad. None could tell how suddenly the door might be shut again! So walking by faith, like Moses, they preferred such simple comforts as God might furnish for the spiritual wants of His believing children, to all the gorgeous trappings, and glittering tinsel connected with the splendid idolatries of an Egyptianized Christianity! And who can refuse to admire the rich and all-sufficient simplicity of the forms of worship here prescribed! Free, to a degree which excites surprise, from all controversial hints, and yet impressing the reader, on every page with the conviction, that, holding the gross superstitions and heresies of Rome in utter abhorrence, every thing popish was most studiously excluded, as unscriptural and pernicious.

And can the spirit thus evinced, and the course thus pursued ever be too heartily approved or too strongly commended? What is it else than cheerful compliance with the terms of true discipleship as fixed by our Lord Himself "If any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross;" "He that putteth his hand to the plow and looketh back is not fit for the kingdom?" What other spirit would we have our Reformed fathers exhibit, or what other course would we have them pursue in the circumstances? Were they not right in breaking truce with Rome, when they discovered that Rome had broken faith with God? Shall they not be justified for flinging the vile superstitions of Popery from them, and that without dalliance, so soon as they detected the sacriligious fraud imposed upon the heritage of the Lord? Which of the Apostles renounced most readily and unreservedly all previous attachments, and predilections for the sake of Christ? Was it not he who was overtaken on his errand of bloody persecution to Damascus, and smitten by the brightness of the Lord down to the earth? And whose spirit, and zeal, and labors, and doctrine, does the true Church admire and commend more heartily than self-denying noble Paul's? No fault is found with him for parting with the