of the Christ, and had I ventured to have imagined such a thing I should have trembled lest I should have been unconsciously guilty of heresy.'

Stevens. 'I do not say that it has ever been so formulated. But surely you don't want me to prove, from Holy Scripture, the existence of each? To do so would not be difficult, for there are innumerable passages where the inspired writers regard the Body of Christ under each of these different aspects. And this Trinity is not wholly dissimilar from that of which man himself is composed-body, soul, and spirit; each distinct, yet, in combination, forming the "Ego" of each individual. Do not mistake me: I do not say that the analogy is complete. On the contrary, it is most imperfect; but the remembrance of its existence may tend to remove the difficulty of conceiving such a Trinity in Unity as that which I have implied.'

De Lorne. 'What the Vicar has advanced is quite new to me. I mean, that I never regarded the Body of our dear Lord under that threefold aspect before, although I can see no objection to such a view being maintained, provided that we do not intend by the Spiritual Body of our Lord, something vague, subjective, and unreal. And I confess that I think that there is danger of It's being so mistaken, and therefore that the statement is liable to be misunderstood.'

Parfitt. Quite so! but the recollection that S. Paul declares that "there is a spiritual body and there is a natural body," will prove sufficient safe

guard against any theory which might be framed whereby the reality of our Lord's Sacred Body in the Holy Eucharist could thus be evaporated. Of the two, our spiritual body is-if I may say so-more real than our natural body, because it is not subject. to death, nor capable of corruption.'

Stevens. 'We know-for we experience it-the existence within ourselves of a spiritual element. But how ignorant are we of its powers, its capabilities, its necessities, and its resources; and this knowledge of our ignorance may make us receive with all meekness and humility the doctrine we have been discussing, whereby we hold that Christ so communicates Himself to us, that we verily and indeed are, through the Blessed Sacrament of His own most precious Body and Blood, made one with Him and He with us.'

Here the conference broke up, and it was agreed that the next meeting should be held on the last Saturday in September, the subject for discussion being the validity of Sacerdotal Absolution.'

D

CHAPTER III.

CONFESSION.

THE last Saturday in September, when the second meeting of our friends was appointed to be held, was one of those gloomy days which often usher in the birth of autumn. The air was literally saturated with moisture: during the whole of the morning a steady drizzling rain had been falling. The flowerbeds seemed in the last stage of decay; the few geraniums which were still in bloom looked sickly and washed out; the lawn responded to the tread like a huge sponge; the shrubs had lost all their bright and gay blossoms, looking miserable and dejected; while the tall elms and wide-spreading beeches shook off the heavy spray in a cascade of dropping crystals.

But few of the guests had as yet arrived at the Vicarage, and it became doubtful whether the rain would not put an effectual stop to the conferences, when the arriv 1 of Fallowfield and Clarkson turned the scale, and the discussion commenced.

There were present the Vicar, Sir Lionel Shelton, Colonel De Lorne, Fallowfield, Clarkson, and Parfitt. Mr. Ormsby had sent a note, saying that he was

prevented from coming, and Grigson failed to put in

an appearance.

Stevens. In opening the subject proposed for our consideration this afternoon, I think that the best course which I can adopt is to treat the question as one about which the Church before and after the Reformation has had but one opinion-a statement which I am about to verify. I need not stay to prove that the Greek and Roman churches are at one in declaring that authority is delegated to the priest to remit and retain sin. My object is rather to show that the English branch of the Church Catholic in her formularies most unhesitatingly and certainly maintains the same doctrine. To demonstrate this I have but to refer you to the manner in which the candidate for Priest's Orders is ordained. Bear with me while I point out the solemnity of the occasion. For one whole year, and sometimes for longer, while he is discharging the functions of a deacon, he is preparing for his ordination-the most important, as indeed it is the most solemn, event in his life. The Church is bidden to fast and to pray during the preceding week especially in his behalf. The day at length arrives when the deacon dedicates the whole of his life, by an irrevocable vow, to the ministry of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I say irrevocable, because, as no Act of Parliament imposed the vow, so no Act of Parliament can release from its obligation. The moment-and I say it in all seriousness-the awful moment has arrived when the

deacon is to receive his life-long commission. And how does he receive it? Apart from his private prayers, apart from his special examination of conscience, apart from his preparation for Holy Communion, and apart from every aspiration he has breathed for grace during the past year, now, in the presence of the Bishop of the Diocese, of the local Clergy, of a large congregation of laity, he deliberately undertakes to devote his life to God's service. Throughout the length and breadth of the land, from every cathedral, from every college chapel, from every parish church, from every town, and from every hamlet,-in a word, wherever the Church's offices are said,—a prayer goes up to the throne of God that grace may be given to him to fulfil the obligations he is about to undertake. The vow is taken, prayer is offered up by the Bishop, a silence more eloquent than speech follows. The Veni Creator is sung by all, devoutly kneeling. The deacon is led by one of the attendant priests and presented to the Bishop. He kneels humbly before his Most Reverend and Spiritual Father in God, who then, laying his hands upon the deacon's head, pronounces the following words:" Receive the Holy Ghost, for the office and work of a priest in the Church of God, now committed unto thee by the imposition of our hands. Whose sins thou dost forgive, they are forgiven; and whose sins thou dost retain, they are retained. And be thou a faithful dispenser of the Word of God, and of His Holy Sacraments. In the Name of the