holding in his hand the keys of the kingdom of heaven.  Now it is indeed flattering to the frail heart of the minister (for we are all mere men) to find himself elevated to such an exalted post, to stand (as the Papists say of their priest) in the place of God, and have his whole congregation look to him for the pardon of sin, in private confession and the sacraments; and this may possibly be one of the reasons why this Puseyite, semi-Romish system is more popular with the clergy than with the laity.  But Protestant ministers should never forget, that the Saviour himself asserted it as his peculiar characteristic, “that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sin.”  Mark ii. 7.

6.  That the sacraments are not the necessary or certain conditions of pardon, is evident, also, from the fact, that some, as the thief upon the cross, were saved without them after their institution, whilst others who had partaken of them were lost, of which Judas and Simon Magus are examples.

7.  That the sacraments are not immediate conditions of pardon is finally evident from the declaration of the apostle Peter, “The like figure whereunto baptism doth now save us; not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, that is, not the mere outward rite of applying the water, but the answer of a good conscience toward God.” [Note 21] that is, the faithful performance of the duties to which our Christian profession, made in baptism, obligated us, by keeping a conscience void of offence before God and man.

From all this, it is very clear, that whilst the sacraments are divinely appointed as means and seals of grace, they operate like divine truth, either oral or written, by promoting that great change of heart, without which no man can see God:  that where they are received with a living faith, there is indeed pardon of sin or justification; but this pardon is the result of that living faith, the appointed condition of justification, and not of the sacraments, which can only tend to secure pardon by promoting faith.

That these views of the mode of operation of the sacraments, are sustained by many of our ablest divines, is evinced by the following extracts from their works. Dr. Mosheim, one of the greatest ornaments of the Lutheran Church, expressly affirms, “Those who possess faith have the benefits of Christ sealed and confirmed to them.  Let it therefore be remarked, that faith is necessary to the salutary fruit and effect of the sacraments, though not required as necessary to their essence (namely, as valid outward ordinances.”) [Note 22] The distinguished Dr. Reinhard says, “We attribute to the sacraments a really beneficial influence in effecting our salvation, only in as far as they are used in accordance with their design.  This is a necessary inference from the nature of a ceremony (or rite) in general, which can only then be of any service, when it excites those views and feelings, which it is designed to produce.”  Here this illustrious divine evidently implies that the sacraments exert their influence by promoting certain views and feelings, and that these are the immediate causes of the beneficial results, such as pardon and salvation:  consequently the sacraments are mediate, but not immediate conditions of pardon.