the apostles enjoined, both by precept and example, the observance of these ordinances, agreeably to the Saviour’s directions. No rite, therefore, is a sacrament in the Christian sense of the term, which is not a matter of divine appointment, and of perpetual obligation. In the second place, the Bible teaches us that the sacraments are the signs of spiritual blessings. They are designed by outward, significant actions, to represent inward, spiritual gifts. The great blessing offered in the Gospel