AXTON. 159 A. You had better first prove, that the cross is not forbidden in all the prophets. Your reasoning is not good. C. If God have bestowed better gifts upon you, than upon others, you must thank him for it ; but not contemn other mens' gifts. A. God forbid that I should contemn the, gifts of God in any man. B. 'What say you about kneeling at the communion ? A. Jesus Christ andhis apostles received the communion sitting, and why maywe not imitate them ? Barker. Jesus Christ, with his apostles, celebrated the communion sitting, because he had immediately before, celebrated the passover sitting. A. After the celebration of the passover, Christ arose and washed the feet of his disciples. Then it is said, he did again sit down to celebrate the communion; which slims, that he preferred doing it sitting, rather than in any other posture.. B. Mr. Axton, I have other questions to propose to you. What think you of the calling of bishops, or of my calling ? A. I am not ignorant of the danger I may fall into, by answering your question. Yet I am not compelled to answer it, not being accused of any crime. B. Yes, I may compel you to answer upon your oath. A. But I may choose whether I will answer you upon myoath. B. I may urge you with your own speeches, whichyou delivered the last time you were before me. A. What I then spoke to the glory of God, that will I also speak now. The learned Bera, in his letter to Bishop Grindal, said, " If you have rejected the doctrine of transubstantiation, and the practice of adoring the host, why do you symbolize with popery, and seem to hold both by kneeling at the sacrament ? Kneeling had never been thought of, had it not been for transubstantiation." Grindal replied, that though the sacra- ment was to be received kneeling, yet the rubric accompanied the service book, and informed the people, that no adoration of the elements was intended. " ©! I understand you," said Beza, " there was a certain great lord, who repaired his house, and, having finished it, left before his gate, a great stone, for which he had no occasion. This stone caused many people in the dark to stumble and fall. Complaint was made to his lordship, and many a humble petition was presented, praying for the removal ofthe stone; but he remained long obstinate. At length, he conde- scended to order a lanthorn to be hung over it. My lord, said one, if you would be pleased to rid yourself of further solicitation, and to quiet all parties, order the stone and the candle to be both retnoved."Robinson's Claude, vol. ii. p. '77.
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