to your own pleasures, and then give to God the refuse and dregs of your life, because you will then not know how otherwise to dispose of yourself. You will be willing to leave the world when it is leaving you. If you could hope that God would accept these lame and blind and halt victims at your hands, you must confess that you have no claims to sentiments or feelings of gratitude. This were indeed an unkind requital, and a dangerous experiment. On the contrary, by remembering your Creator in the days of your youth, you offer him the most acceptable service. You have, in so doing, the sure promise, that they who seek him early shall find him. Those who honour him, he will honour. Beginning the work early, you shall find it easy and delightful, and in a dying and retiring age you will have nothing to do, but to collect and enjoy the consolations of religion.

To this duty your baptismal covenant binds you by strong obligations. For although you did not in your own person contract the vow, yet the nature of it is such, as makes it of universal obligation. Your parents devoted you to the Lord in baptism, at an age when you could not choose for yourselves. And now that you can understand your own interest and duty, you are called upon to ratify their contract made in your behalf. Your refusing to do this, disannuls their act, and declares that you will not accept of the Lord as your master. "Choose ye this day whom ye will serve; if the Lord be God serve him; but if Baal serve him." Surely you cannot long hesitate which choice to adopt. You cannot be at a loss to determine between objects so different, and where your duty and happiness are so obviously marked. Thankfully accept then the terms which your parents have negotiated for you, and labour to fulfil on your part the

conditions they have stipulated for you, that you may indeed be the children of God.*

"Baptism doth represent unto us our profession: which is, to follow the example of our Saviour Christ, and to be made like unto him; that as he died, and rose again for us, so should we, who are baptized, die from sin, and rise again unto righteousness; continually mortifying all our evil and corrupt affections, and daily proceeding in all virtue and godliness of living." Be not satisfied then with a mere profession, a decent demeanour, and regular observance of external duties, unless you experience also the inward dispositions of a new nature. “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable will of God." And in order to attain to this state, be much in prayer, and in reading, with prayer, the Scriptures; avoid evil company, for it will be sure to extinguish in you your good resolutions; "Come out from among them and be ye separate, touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters saith the Lord Almighty."

CHAPTER XIV.

CONFIRMATION.

As baptism, in the case of infants, is not their voluntary act, it is very suitable that they should, when they arrive

* This is the object of Confirmation, as will be explained under that head.

1 Baptismal Service.

to years of discretion, confirm what has been done, and express their agreement to the stipulations entered into in their behalf by their sponsors. If, therefore, confirmation had no higher design and origin than what may be found in the expediency of an act, which, as it were, renews the baptismal vows, and binds the subjects of it in their own persons to the fulfilment of them, this, of itself, would be sufficient to demonstrate its fitness and utility. But, besides this natural tendency of its operation, it possesses the advantage of an instituted means of grace. We read in the Acts, that Philip the Deacon had been the instrument of converting and baptizing the people of Samaria: upon hearing of this, the Apostles sent down to them Peter and John, two of their own body; who, by prayer, accompanied by the imposition of hands, obtained for them a greater degree, than they had received, of the influence of the Holy Ghost.

From this, and other like instances of the practice of the Apostles, is derived, what Bishops, their successors, have practised ever since, and which we now call confirmation. Preaching was common to all ranks of ministers: baptizing was usually performed by the lowest rank; but, perhaps, to maintain a due subordination, it was reserved to the highest, by prayer and imposition of hands, to communicate further measures of the Holy Ghost. It was indeed peculiar to the Apostles, that on their intercession, extraordinary and miraculous gifts were bestowed; which continued in the Church no longer than the need of them did but unquestionably, by their petitions they procured for every sincere convert, a much more valuable, though much less remarkable blessing, of universal and perpetual necessity, viz. the ordinary and saving graces of the Holy

a Acts viii.

990

Spirit. "For these, therefore," says Archbishop Secker, "after their example, trusting that God will have regard, not to our unworthiness, but to the purposes of mercy which he hath appointed us to serve, we intercede now, when persons take upon themselves the vow of baptism.' The offices used in confirmation proceed upon the supposition, that the persons offering themselves for the rite, have true repentance and faith, and that they are steadfastly resolved to live new lives; that, "being now come to the years of discretion, and having learned what their Godfathers and Godmothers promised for them in baptism, they do, themselves, with their own mouth and consent, openly before the Church, ratify and confirm the same; and also promise, that, by the grace of God, they will evermore endeavour, themselves, faithfully to observe such things as they themselves have assented unto." Having then solemnly made these promises before God and his Church, the Bishop puts his hands on them, and prays that they may receive greater increase in the Holy Spirit, until they come to God's everlasting kingdom.

It is true, that many abuse this ordinance, and derive no benefit, but rather condemnation, from its observance. But still this does not prove it to be wrong. However this, and every other good thing, may be abused, no good argument can be drawn from that consideration against its right performance. It must appear proper and useful that when persons have been duly instructed by the care of their parents, friends and ministers, they should, with joyful gratitude, acknowledge them to have faithfully performed that kindest duty. It must be proper and useful, that, before they are admitted to the holy communion, they should give public assurance of their Christian belief and

b Preface to the Order of Confirmation.

Christian purposes. This must be also extremely useful to themselves. For, young persons are just entering upon a world full of temptations, with no experience, and little knowledge to guard them, and much youthful rashness to expose them. The authority of others over them is beginning to lessen; their own passions to increase, and evil communications to have greater opportunities of corrupting good manners. What can be more necessary then, or more likely to preserve them from falling, than to form the most deliberate resolutions of acting right; and to declare them in a manner, thus adapted to affect them at the time, and be remembered by them afterwards; in the presence of God, of a number of his ministers, and of a large congregation of his people, assembled with more than ordinary solemnity for that very purpose.

"There is no question to be made of it," says Bishop Wilson, but that most of that ignorance, impiety, profaneness, want of charity, of union, and order, which we complain of, is owing to the neglect or abuse of this one ordinance; which being appointed by the Apostles, and practised even when baptism was administered to people of full age, it is no wonder that God punishes the contempt of it, by withholding his Holy Spirit, and those graces which are necessary, and would certainly accompany the religious use of it.

"If this were well considered, and pastors would resolve to discharge their duty in this particular faithfully, we should soon see another face of religion; Christians would be obliged to study their religion, and to think it something more than the work of the lips, and of the memory, or the mere custom of the place where they live. And being made sensible of their danger, (being liable to sin, to death,

See Archbishop Secker's Lectures.

d Acts viii. 17.