7 DECEMBER 1867, Page 22

The Sacraments and Sacramental Ordinances of the Church. By the

Rev. John Henry Blunt. (Rivingtons.)—" A Sketch-Map of Sacra- mental Theology is the name given to this book by its author. It is not surprising that he should express the highest Sacramentarian theory. Once or twice, indeed, he qualifies tho almost necessary deduc- tions from such premiases, as when he hints that "there is nothing in Holy Scripture to warrant the belief that the married life is essentially a lower state than the celibate life," or when he suggests that unbaptized children, "dying under the ban of original sin, but yet not guilty of actual sin, pass out of existence altogether." Perhaps the most startling passage in Mr. Blunt's work is that in which ho states that Seven Sacra- ments are recognized by the Church of England in the Twenty-Fifth Article and one of the Homilies. Ho is good enough, however, to give us the words of recognition, and they form the most conclusive answer to his assertion. The Church of England recognizes as a fact that there are seven, or even more, Sacraments allowed by other Churches, but declares most strongly that there are only two which answer to the true definition of the word.