miffion of fins, it therefore may fupply the want of Bap- Introduct. tism, as that because it conveys ghoftly ftrength, therefore there is no need of Confirmation after it. Or again, the Eucharift itself may as well be omitted, because Prayer has the promise of whatever is afked, as Confirmation be rendered useless or unneceffary, because the Eucharist will fupply us with grace. The Spirit of God comes which way he pleases; but yet, if we expect his grace or bleffing, we muft afk for and feek it by those ways and means which he himself has thought fit to appoint. §. 7. But lastly, as Baptifm is now for the most part ad- Neceffary miniftered to Infants, this holy rite is afterwards neceflary to confirm to confirm to them the benefits of that holy Sacrament, For the benefits of Baptifm. though the charity of the church accepts of fureties in behalf of Infants, which are not in a condition to contract for themselves; yet when they arrive at years of difcretion, fhe expects them to take the covenant upon themselves, as their own act and deed: which is one of the confiderations for which the church declares Confirmation to be very convenient to be obferved: viz. to the end that Children being now come to the years of difcretion, and having learned what their Godfathers and Godmothers promifed for them in Baptifm, they may therefore with their own mouth and confent openly before the Church ratify and confirm the fame, and alfo promife that, by the grace of God, they will evermore endeavour themfelves faithfully to obferve fuch things as they by their own confeffions have affented unto 45. And indeed they who refufe in their own perfons to ratify the vow which was made in their name, renounce in effect all the benefits and advantages, to which the contract of their fureties had before entitled them. Having thus faid what I thought convenient concerning the inftitution, the neceflity and end of Confirmation, the manner and order of adminiftering it by the ancients should be spoken to in the next place. But this may be done to better advantage, by comparing our own and the ancient offices together. And therefore the farther particulars fhall be taken into confideration, as the office itself fhall lead and direct me, 45 Preface to the Office; or Part of the rubric before the Catechifm in the old books. Chap. IX. Rubric 1. be con firmed. SECT. I. Of the Rubrics before the Office. Two of the rubrics, which relate to this office, are printed at the end of the Catechifm, which, till the last review, was rather a part of the order of Confirmation, than an office by itself; it being inferted between the rubrics relating to Confirmation, and the order for the adminiftration of it. I. The former of these rubrics is, in the firft place, con The Age of cerning the age of the perfons to be confirmed, which it Perfons to determines fhall be as foon as children are come to a competent age, and can fay, in their Mother-Tongue, the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments, and alfo can anfwer to the other questions of the Catechifm. In the primitive church indeed, fuch perfons as were baptized in the prefence of the Bishop, were immediately prefented to him in order for Confirmation 46. Nor was this only true with respect to Adult Perfons, but also with regard to Infants, who, if a Bishop was prefent, were frequently confirmed immediately upon their Baptifm; as may be fhewed from direct teftimonies of the ancients, as well as from that known ufage or cuftom, of giving the holy Eucharist to Infants, which ordinarily prefuppofes their Confirmation 47. The fame is practifed by the Greek church to this day 48. And in our own church indeed, those who are baptized, after they are come to years of difcretion, are to be confirmed by the Bishop as foon after their Baptifm as conveniently may be 49. But in relation to children, their Confirmation is deferred, and with a great deal of reason, till they come to a competent age, and can fay the Catechifm. For it being required that at Confirmation they renew the vow that was made for them at their Baptifm, and ratify the fame in their own perfons; it is fit they fhould know and understand the nature of the obligation, before they bind themselves under it. Nor can any detriment arise to a child, by deferring its Confirmation to fuch an age; becaufe, as our church has declared, (on purpose to fatisfy people that are fcrupulous in this very matter,) it is certain 46 Tertul. de Bapt. c. 7, 8. Cyril. Catech. Myftag. 3. n. 1. Conft. Ap. 1. 7. C. 43, 44. Amphiloch. in Vit. Bafil. c. 5. Dionyf. Eccl. Hier. c. 2. Ambrof. de Sacram. 1. 3. c. 2. Optat. 1. 4. p. 81. 47 See both these points proved in Mr. Bingham's Antiquities of the 49 See the first rubric at the end of the Office for Baptism of Perfons of Riper Years. by by God's word, that children, which are baptized, dying be- Sect. I. fore they commit actual fin, are undoubtedly faved. Their original fin is done away by Baptifm, and they are confirmed and fecured by death itself from any future guilt: fo that no danger can enfue, if their Confirmation be deferred till fuch time as it can be of ufe. Bucer indeed (who generally runs into extremes) finds fault with our church for adminiftering it too foon; and would have none admitted to this holy rite, till fuch time as they have had an opportunity of giving fufficient teftimonies of their faith and defire of living to God by their life and converfation 5. But we have already fhewed, that the enabling perfons to give fuch teftimonies of their faith and practice, is the end of Confirmation; and therefore furely Confirmation is to be administered, to affift them in manifefting their faith and practice, and not to be deferred till they are already manifefted. For this reafón it is very evidently the defign of our church, that chil dren be confirmed before they have opportunities of being acquainted with fin; that fo the holy Spirit may take early poffeffion of their youthful hearts, and prevent those fins, to which, without his affiftance, the very tenderness of their age would be apt to expofe them. It is indeed highly expedient, that those who are confirmed should be old enough to understand the nature and advantages of the rite they are admitted to, and the obligations it lays upon them and if they are duly apprifed of this, they are deemed by our church qualified enough. For they that are capable of this knowledge, are yet at years to difcern between good and evil; and therefore that must be the proper time to fecure them, by the invocation of the Spirit, in the paths of virtue. Accordingly, it was declared by the rubric prefixed to the order for Confirmation, in all the Common Prayer-Books before the last review, That forafmuch as Confirmation is miniftered to them that be baptized, that by impofition of hands and prayer they may receive Strength and defence against all temptations to fin, and the affaults of the world and the Devil; it is moft meet to be miniftered when children come to that age, that partly by the frailty of their own flesh, partly by the affaults of the world and the Devil, they begin to be in danger to fall into fundry kinds of fin. The reafon why this was not continued at 50 Rubric at the end of the Office for Public Baptifm of Infants. 51 Buceri Cenfura, apud Script. Anglican. p. 482, 483. the Chap. IX. the review in 1661, was not because the church had altered her mind, but because the foregoing part of the ru bric was changed into a proper preface, with which the office is now introduced. Bishops the §. 2. The next thing mentioned in this rubric, is the only Mini- Minifter of Confirmation, who, it declares, must be a BiConfirma- Shop; confonant to the firft examples we read of it in the fters of tion. Who ought therefore to Acts, or proceedings of the Apoftles themselves. For Peter and John were fent by them from Jerufalem to confirm the Samaritans, though Philip had been there to convert and baptize them 52: which plainly fhews, that the office was beyond a Deacon's province, and limited indeed to the highest order of the church. For which reafon the honour of difpenfing this holy ordinance was always referved to the miniftry of Bishops 53. I have had occafion indeed to fhew that the administering the Chrism, or the Unction which was used as a part of Confirmation, was often, for certain reafons, allowed to Prefbyters 54. But even in fuch cafes I have obferved, that the right of confecrating the Unction, and of imposing the hands, were both very flrictly referved to the Bishop, A few inftances indeed may be produced of Prefbyters, and even Deacons, being allowed to perform this office 55, But then it was by a fpecial licence or commiffion from the Bishop, and in cafes, for the most part, of fome great extremity or danger. Though indeed the allowing this in any cafe whatever seems very much to run counter to the general practice and sense of the church, which at all times and places very religiously looked upon the Impoftion of Hands, as the peculiar and incommunicable prerogative of Bifhops. But then as the Bishops have the fole honour, fo have do it often, they also the whole charge of this inftitution. And fince it must be wholly omitted, if they do not perform it, the church hath enjoined the frequent administration of it by thofe reverend fathers. In former ages (as our church declares 5) this holy action has been accustomed to be performed in the Bishop's Vifitation every third year: for which reason The wills and appoints, that every Bishop or his Suffragan, in 52 A&ts viii. 14, &c. 53 Cyprian. Ep. 73. ad Jubaian. p. 202. Firmil. Ep. 75. ap. Cypr. p. 221. Vide et Cyprian. in Append. p. 25, et 26. Concil. Elib. Can. 38. et 77. Innocent. Ep. 1. ad Decent. Ambr. in Ep. ad Hebr. vi. 2. tom. iii. col. 633. F. Dionyf. Arcop. Eccl. Hier. c. 5. p. 117. B. Hieron. contr. Lucifer. c. 4. Gelaf. Ep. 9. ad Epifc. Eufeb. 1. 6. c. 43. Aug. de Trin. 1. 15. c. 26. 54 See page 362. 55 See inftances of this in Mr. Bingham's Antiquities, book 12. c. 2. fect. 4, 5. vol. iv. p. 389, &c. 56 In the LXth Canon. his accustomed Vifitation, do in his own perfon carefully ob- Sect. I. ferve the faid cuftom. And if in that year, by reafon of fome infirmity, he be not able perfonally to vifit, then he shall not omit the execution of that duty of Confirmation the next year after, as he may conveniently: though the Reformatio Legum (as cited by Bishop Gibson 5) feems to appoint, that Confirmation be administered every year. §. 3. The remaining part of this rubric is concerning A Godfathe Godfather or Godmother, which every one that is con- ther or Godfirmed is obliged to have as a witness of their Confirma- mother ne ceffary at tion. Dr. Nichols tells us, that "our wife Reformers, Confirma"because there was not the like reason for them, as there tion. "was before the Reformation, and because it gave the parents an unneceffary trouble in procuring them, have "laid that ufage afide 55." But one would wonder how the doctor fhould be so much mistaken, immediately after he must have printed and corrected this very rubric; and at the fame time that, to account for the alteration, he cites the rubric immediately following. Nor can any reafon be given, why the doctor fhould fo freely charge the providing thefe Godfathers as an unneceffary trouble. They are certainly as useful at the Confirmation of a youth, as they are at the Baptism of a person that is adult. In both cafes they are witneffes of the engagements, which the persons fo baptized or confirmed lay themselves under; and confequently will be proper and continual monitors to check or reclaim them, fhould they at any time hereafter be tempted to abandon the intereft of Chrift, and take part with his enemies. And for the prevention of any one's entering upon this truft, who will not be careful to difcharge the duty of it, the church provides, that no perfon be admitted Godfather or Godmother to any Child at Chrif tening or Confirmation before the faid perfon fo undertaking hath received the holy Communion $2. Parishion II. The next rubric relates to the care which the Cu- The Mirate of every Parish is to ufe preparatory to Confirmation, nifter to who, whenfoever the Bishop fhall give knowledge for Chil-prepare his dren to be brought unto him for their Confirmation, is either ers for Conto bring or fend in writing, with his hand fubfcribed there- firmation. unto, the names of all fuch perfons within his parish, as he Shall think fit to be prefented to the Bishop to be confirmed. And by the fixty-firft canon he is farther enjoined to use his beft endeavour to prepare and make able and likewife to 57 Codex Juris Ecclefiaft. Tit. 19. eap. 2. vol. i. p. 454. 58 See his note (d) upon the Ru bric before Confirmation. 59 Canon XIX. procuré |