free from the guilt of it. Baptifm then,
through his mercy, fecures infants from the
bad confequences of Adam's tranfgrelTion,
giving them a new title to the immortality
which he loft. It alfo fecures, to perfons
grown up, the intire forgivenefs of their
own tranfgrefTions, on the terms jufh men-
tioned. But then, in order to receive thefe
benefits, we muft lay our claim to the cove-
nant, which conveys them : we muft ratify,
as foon as we are able, what was promifed
in our name by others before we were able ;
and done for us then, only on prefumption
that we would make it our own deed after-
wards. For if we negleft, and appear to
renounce our part of die covenant^ we have
I



plainly not the leaft right to God's perform-
ing his: but we remain in our fins, and
Ch rift Jhall profit us ?iothing* ."

You fee then of what unfpeakable im-
portance it is, that we take on ourfelves the
vow of our baptifm. And it is very fit and
ufeful, that we ftiould take it in fuch form
and manner as the ofBce prefcjibes. It is
fit, that when perfons have been properly
inftruded, by the care of their parents,
friends, and minifters, they fhould with
joyful gratitude acknowledge them to have
faithfully performed that kindcft duty. It
is fit, that before they are admitted by the
church of Chrift to the holy communion,
they fhould give public allurance to the
church of their chriftian belief, and chriftiaa
purpofes. This may alfo be extremely ufe-
ful to themfelves. For confider: young
perfons are juft entering into a world of
temptations, with no experience, and little
knowledge to guard them ; and much youth-
ful rafhnefs to expofe them. The authorit/
of others over them is beginning to lefien,
their own paffions to increafe, e-uil communi-
cation to have great opportunities of cornapt-
ii?g good manners t ; and ftrong iraprefSons,
of one kind or another, will be made oa
them very foon. What can then be more"
neceffary, or more likely to preferve their
innocence, than to form the moft deliberate
ref blutions of afting right ; and to declare
them in a manner, thus adapted to move
them at the time, and be remembered by
them afterwards : in the prefence of God,
of a number of his minifters, and of a large
congregation of his people, aflembled with
more than ordinary folemnity for that very
purpofe?

But_ then you, that are to be confirmed,
muft either do your ov*n part, or the whole
of this preparation will be utterly throwa
away upon you. If yau make the anfwer,
which is diredied, without fmcerity, it is
lying to God: if you make it without at-
tention, it is trifling with him. Watch
over your hearts therefore, and let them go,
along with your lips. The two fhort words,
1 do, are foon faid : but they comprehend
much in them. Whoever ufes them on this
occafion, faith in efFeft as follows : '* / ^
♦' heartily renounce all the temptations of
" the devil; all the unlawful oleafures,
" profits, andhonoursof the world; all the
" immoral gratifications cf the fleOi. /
« do fincerely believe, and will conftantly
'* profefs, all the articles of the chriftian



* Gal. V, 3.



f I Cor. XV. 33.



faitii.



238



ELEGANT EXTRACTS,



Book IA



" faith. / do fu-mly refolve to keep nil
«« God's commandments all the days of my
** life ; to love and honour him ; to pray to
♦* him and praife him daily in private ; to
*' attend confcientioufly on the public wor-
" ftiip and inrtriiftlon, which he hath ap-
** pointed ; to approach his holy table, as
*« foon as I can qualify myfelf for doing it
*' worthily; to fubmit to his bleffed will
« meekly and patiently in all things ; to
" fet him ever before my eyes, and ac-
•• knowledge him in all my ways. / do
" further refolve, in the whole courfe of
«* my behaviour amongft my fellow-crea^
** tures, to do juftJy, lo-ve mercy*, fpeak
" truth, be diligent and ufeful in my fta-
*' tion, dutiful to my fuperiors, condefcend-
«' ing to thofe beneath m.e, friendly to my
" equals; careful, through all the relations
*' of life, to aft as the nature of them re-
" quires, and conduft myfelf fo to all men
*' as I iiiould think it reafonable that they
•' (hould do to me in the like cafe. Fur-
*' ther yet : / do refoh e, in the govern-
** ment of myfelf, to be modeft, fober,
*' temperate, mild, humble, contented; to
*' reftrain every paffion and appetite within
*' due bounds ; and to fet my heart chiefly,
«< not on the fenfual enjoyments of this
*' tranfitory world, but the fpiritual happi-
*• nefs of the future endlefs one. Laftly, 1
*' do refolve, whenever I fail in any of thefe
«* duties, as I am fenfible I have, and mult
*« fear I fhall, to confefs it before God with
** unfeigned concern, to apply for his pro-
** mifed pardon jn the name of his blcffed
** Son, to beg the promifed aOiftance of his
«' Holy Spirit; and in that ftrength, not
*< my own, to ftrive againft my faults, and
*« watch over my fteps with redoubled
« care."

Obferve then : it is not gloominefs and
melancholy, that religion calls you to : it is
not ufelefs aufterity, and abftinence from
things lawful and fafe ; it is not extravagant
flights and raptures ; it is not unmeaning or
unedifying forms and ceremonies; much
lefs is it bitternefs againll thofe v/ho differ
from you. But the fore-mentioned un-
queftionable fubilantial duties are the things
to which you bind yourfelves, when you
pronounce the awful words, / do. Utter
them then with the trueft ferioufnefs : and
fay to yourfelves, each of you, afterwards,
as Mofes did to the Jews, 'thou haji auouched
the Lord this day to he thy God, to nvalk in his



ivays and keep his Jlatutes, and to hearken t§
hir 'voice : and the Lord hath a'vouched thee
this day to he his ; that thou Jhouldft keep all
his commandments , a7id he holy unto the Lord
thy God, as he hathfpoken +. It is a certaia
truth, call it therefore often to mind, and
fix it in your fouls, that if breaking a folemn
promife to men be a fm ; breaking that
which you make thus deliberately to God,
would be unfpeakably a greater fin.

But let us now proceed to the next part
of the ofiice : in which, after perfons have
confirmed and ratified the vow of their bap-
tifm, prayers are offered up, that God
would confirm and fcrengthen them in their
good purpofe :„,on both which accounts this
appointment is called confirmation.

Scripture teaches, and fad experience
proves, that of ourfel-ues ive can do nothing ;
arc not f.'ifficiefit % for the difcharge of our
duty, without God's continual aid ; by
which he can certainly influence our minds,
without hurting our natural freedom of will,
and even without our perceiving it : for we
can influence our fellow-creatures fo. Nor
is it any injuftice in him to require of us
what exceeds our ability, fince he is ready
to fupply the want of it. Indeed, on th«
contrary, as this method of treating us is
excellently fitted both to keep us humble,
and yet to give us courage, ufing it is
evidently worthy of God. But then, as
none can have reafon to exped his help,
but thofe wlio earneft:ly defire it, fo he hath
promifed to give the holy fpirit only to them
that ajl: him § . And to unite chriltians morC
in love to each other, and incline them more
to affemble for public worfliip, our blefled
Redeemer hath efpecially promifed, that
<ujhere ttoo or three of them are gathered
together in his 7ia?ne, he nxnll he in the midji
of them \. And further ftill, to promote a
due regard in his pcopb to their teachers and
rulers, the facred writings afcribe a peculiar
efficacy to their praying over thofe who are
committed to their charge. Even under the
Jewilh difpenfation, the family of Aaron
were told, that the}n the Lord had feparated
to mi?iijier unto him, and to blcjs in the name
of the Lord \ : and they Jhiill put my namey
faith God, upon the children ofl/rael, and I
nvill hlefs ihe?n **. No wonder then, if
under the chrifiian difpenfation we read, bat
jult before the text, that the apoftles, ■^.vhen
they 'were come do-xvn to San;aria, prayed for
the nev/-baptized converts, that they might



* Mlc. v"i. 8.
§ Luke xi, 13.



\ Deut. xxvl.
\ Matth.'xviii. 20.

2



\^, iS, 19. X yh\i XV. 5. z Cor. iii. 5.

<{T Deut. X. 8, xxl. 5. *^ Numb. vi. 27.

rscei-z-e



}-. Book L



MORAL AND RELIGIOUS.



23^



r<'cei-ve the Holy Ghft ; and in the text, that
tliey did receive it accordingly.

Therefore, purfuant to thefe great autho-
rities, here is, on the prefent occaiion, a num-
ber of young difciples, about to run the fame
common race, met together to pray for them-
felves and one another : here is a number of
elder chriftians, who have experienced the
dangers of life, met to pray for thofe who are
jufl: entering into them : here are alfo God's
minifters, purpofely come, to intercede with
him in their behalf : and furcly we may hope,
their joint and fervent petitions will avail,
and be elFe(flua].

They begin, as they ought, with acknow-
ledging, and in fcripture words, that our
help is in the na77ieof the Lord, ivho hath made
heaveu and earth * ; it is ml in man to direB
his onunjiepsi; but his Creator only can
preferve him. Then we go on to pronounce
the vame of the Lord bleffed, henceforth ijuorld
Kvithout e?id, for his readinefs to bellow upon
us the grace which we want. And laftly, in
confidence of his goodnefs, we intreat him to
hear our prayers, and let our crj come unto
him%.

After thefe preparatoiry ejaculations, and
the ufual admonition to be attentive. Let us
pray ; comes a longer aft of devotion, which
lirlt commemorates God's mercy already be-
llowed, then petitions for an increafe of it.

The commemoration fets forth, that he
hath regenerated thefe his fer-vants by nuater and
the Holy Ghoft : that is, intitled them by bap-
tifm to the enlivening influences of the fpirit,
and fo, 33 it were, begotten them again into
a ftate, inexpreiTibly happier than their na-
tural one ; a covenant-ftate, in which God
will confider them, wbilft they keep their
engagements, with peculiar love, as his dear
children. It follows, that he hath given
unto themforgi'venfs of all their fins \ meaning,
that he hath given them affiirance of it, on
the gracious terms of the gofpel. But that
every one of them hath adlually received it by
complying with thofe terms fmce he finned
iaft, though we may charitably hope, we
cannot prefume to aifirm : nor were thefe
Vvords intended to affirm it; as the known
doftrine of the church of England fully
proves. And therefore let no one mifunder-
Ihind this exprefiion in the ofiice, which hath
parallel ones in the Nev/ Teltanient §, fo as
either to cenfure it, or delude himfelf with a
fatiil imagination, that any thing faid over



him can poflibly convey to him a pardon of
fins, for which he is not truly penitent. We
only acknowledge, with due thankfulnefs,
that God hath done his part : but which of
the congregation have done theirs, their own
confciences muft tell them.

After this commemoration, we go on ta
requeft for the perfons before. us, that God
v^OKxX^jirengtken them againft all temptation,
and fupport them under all aitlidion, by the
Holy Ghiji the comforter, and daily increafe in
them his manifold gifts of grace : which gifts
we proceed to enumerate in {c\zn particulars,
taken from the prophet Ifaiah jj ; by whom
they are afcribed to our bleffcd Redeemer ;
but as the fame ?nind ought to be in us njohich
nvas iuChriJl Jefus f , a petition for tliem was
ufed, in the office of confirmation, 14.06
years ago, if not fooner. The feparate
meaning of each of the feven, it is neither eafy
nor needful to determine with certainty. For
indeed, if no more was defigned, than to
exprefs very fully and ftrongly, by various
words of nearly the fame import, a pious
and moral temper of mind ; this is a man-
ner of fpeaking both common and empha-
tical. But each of them may be taken in
a diftincl fenfe of its own. And thus we
may beg for thefe our fellovv^-chriftians, a
fpirit ofnvifdom, to aim at the right eiKi, the
falvation of their fouls ; and of underftandingy
to purfue it by right means : 0/ counfel, to
form good purpofes; and oi ghoftly or fpi-
ritual Jirength, to execute them : of ufeful
kijoivledge in the doftrines of religion ; and
truegodlinefs, difpofing them to a proper ufe
af it. But chiefly, though laftly, we pray
that they may he filled tuith the Spirit of God's
holy fear; with that reverence of him, as the
greateft, and pureft, and beft of beings, the
rightful proprietor and jufi: judge of all,
which will effectually excite them to what-
ever they are concerned to believe or do.
For the fear of the Lord is the begittning of
ivifilom **.

Having concluded this prayer for them all
in general, the bifhop implores the divina
proteftion and grace for each one, or each
pair of them, in particular : that as he is
already God's profefled child zrAfervant, by
the recognition which he hath juft made of
his baptifmal covenant, fo he may continue his
for ever, by faithfully keeping it : and, far
from decaying, daily increafe in his Holy Spirit,
that is, in the fruits of the Spirit, piety and"



* Pfal. cxxlv.
I Ifai. xi. 2.



f Jer, X, 23-

f[ Phil. ii. 5.



X Pfal. cii. II.
'* Pfal. cxi. 10.



§ Eph. i. 7. Col. i, 14.



24^



ELEGANT EXTRACTS,



Book Z



virtue, more and more : making greater and piety, which you never felt before. But you
quicker advances in them, as'life goes on, may reafonably promife yourfelves, from
until he come to that decifive hour, when his going through it with a proper difpofition,
portion fhall be unchangeable in God's ever- greater meafures, when real occafion requires
lofting kingdom. them, of fuch divine affiftance as will be
And, along with the. utterance of thefe needful for your fupport and orderly growth
folemn words, he lays his hand on each of in every virtue of a chriftian life,
their heads : a ceremony ufed from the ear- 'And now, the impofition of hands being
lieft ages by religious perfons, when they finifhed, the bifhop and congregation mu-
prayed for God's bleffing on anyone; ufed tually recommend each other to God, and
by our Saviour, who, when children nvere return to fuch joint and public devotions
brought to him, that hejhouldput his hands on as are fuitable to the folemnity. The firft
themy and pray, and ble/s them, ijuas much dif- of thefe is the Lord's Prayer : a form fea-
*/ffl/?i* with thofe who forbad it; ufed by fonable always, but peculiarly now; as
the apoftles, after converts were baptized, as every petition in it will Ihew, to every one
riie text plainly Ihews ; reckoned in the epiftle who confiders it. In the next place, more
to the Hebrews among the foundations of the efpecial fupplications are poured forth, for
chriftian profeffiont; conftantly praftifed, the perfons particularly concerned, to him
and hio-hly efteemed in the church from that who alone can enable them both tp 'will and
time to this ; and fo far from beingapopilh to doyAviX is good-, that, as the hand of his
ceremony, that the papifts adminifter confir- minifter hath been laid upon them, fo his
mation by other ceremonies of their own de- fatherly hand may ever be over them, and lead
vifing, and have laid afide this primitive them in the only way, the knovoledge and obe-
one ; which therefore our church very pru- dience of his nuord, to everlafting life. After
dently reftored. And the cuftom of it is this, a more general prayer is offered up for
T 1 1 them and the reft of the congregation toge-
ther, that God would vouchfafe, unworthy as
we all are, fo to direSi and govern both our
hearts and bodies, our inclinations and actions,
(for neither will fufiice without the other) in
the vjays of his lavjs, and in the nuorks of his
commandments, that, through his moji mighty
p rote Si ion, both here a?id ever, <voe may be
preferved in body and foul: having the for-



a
Cal



pproved, as apoftolical, both by Luther and
Jalvin, and feveral of their followers, though
they ralhly abolilhed it, as having been abuf-
^6.%. But I am credibly informed, that at
Geneva it hath lately been reftored.

The laying on of the hand naturally ex-
prefies good will and good wifhes in the
perfon who doth it : and in the prefent
cafe is further intended, as you will find
in one of the following prayers^ to certify
ihofet to whom it is done, of God's favour
md gracious goodnefs tovjards them : of which
goodnefs they will continually feel the effeds,
provided, which muft ahvays be underftood,
thai they preferve their title to liiscare by a
proper care of themfelves. This, it muft be
owned, is a truth : and we may as innocently
fignify it by thife figH as by any other, or as
by any words to the fame purpofe. Further
efficacy we do not afcribe to it : nor would
have you look on bifhops as having or claim-
ing a power, in any cafe, to confer bleffing"



mer, in his good time, raifed up from the
dead, and the latter made happy, in conjunc-
tion with it, to all eternity.

Thefe requefts being thus made, it only
remains, that all be difrniffed with a folemn
blelTmg : which will certainly abide with
you, unlefs, by wilful fm, or grofs negligence,
you drive it away. And in that cafe, you
muft not hope, that your baptifm, or your
confirmation, or the prayers of the bifhop, or
the church, or the whole world, will do you
any fervice. On the contrary, every thing
which you might have been the better for, if



arbitrarily on whom they pleafe ; but only as you had made a good ufe of it, you will be
petitioning God for that blelfrng from above ^' '" '"

which he alone can give ; yet we juftly hope,
will give the rather for the prayers of thofe
whom he hath placed over his people, unlefs
your own unworthinefs prove an impediment.
Not that you are to expect, on the perform-
ance of this good office, any fudden and fen



the worfc for, if you make a bad one. You
do well to renew the covenant of your bap-
tifm in confirmation : but if you break it,
you forfeit the benefit of it. You do well
to repeat your vows in the facrament of the
Lord's fupper : it is what all chriftians are
commanded by their dying Saviour, for the
fible change in your hearts, giving you, all ftrengthening and refrejhing of their fouls : it is
at once, a remarkable ftrength or comfort in what I beg all, who are confirmed, will re

* Matt. xix. 13—15. Mark X. 13—16. f Heb, vi. i. % See Camfield's twoDifcoarfa

on Epifcopal Contirmation, Svo. 1682, p. 33—35.

member.



Book L



MORAL AND R^LlGlOUS.



241



member, and their friends and minifters re-
mind them of: the fooner they are prepared
fot it, the happier ; and by flopping fhort,
the benefit of what preceded will be lolL But
if you are admitted to this privilege alfo, and
live wickedly, you. do but eaf and drink your
eivn conde?nnation. So that all depends on a
thoroughly honeftcare of your hearts and be-
haviour in all refpefts.

Not that, with our beftcare, we can avoid
fmaller faults. And if we entreat pardon for
them in our daily prayers, and faithfully
flrive againft them, they will not be imput-
ed to U3. But grofs and habitual fins vv'e
may avoid, through God's help: and if
we fall into them, we fall from our title
to falvation at the fame time. Yet even
then our cafe is not defperate : and let
us not make it fo, by thinking it is : for,
through the grace of the gofpcl, we may ftill
repent and amend, and then be forgiven. But
I beg you to obferve, that, as continued
health is vaftly preferable to the happieft re-
covery from l^cknefs ; fo is innocence to the
trueft repentance. If we fufFer ourfelves to
tranfgrefs our duty, God knows whether we
fhall have time to repent ; God knows whe-
ther we (hall have a heart to do it. At beft
we fhall have loit, and eiore than loit, the
whole time that we have been going back :
whereas we have all need to prefs forwards,
as faft as we can. Therefore let the innocent
of wilful fm preferve that treafure with the
greateft circumfpeftion; and the faulty re-
turn from their errors without delay. Let
the young enter upon the way of righteouf-
nefs with hearty refolution ; and thofe of
riper age perfevere in it to the end. In a
word, let us all, of every age, ferioufly con-
fider, and faithfully praftife, the obligations
of religion. For the Fo^vs of God are ilill
7ipo7i us * , how long fceVer it be iince they
were firft made, either by us, or for us : and
! it is in vain to forget what he will alTuredly
j remember ; or hope to be fafe in neglecting
; what he expefts us to do. But let us ufe
; proper diligence ; and he will infallibly give
us proper alfiftance, and confirm us all unto the
End, that ^we may be blamelefs in the Day of
our Lord J ejus Chrift +.

Nq^uj unto him, ivho is able to keep us from
falling, and to prefent us faultlejs before the
frefence of his glory ivith exceeding joy, to
the only n.vife God our Sa<viour, be glory and
majejiy, dominion and poiver, both nonv and
^vir. Amen J, Seeker,

* Pfalm Ivi. 12. f I Cor. i. %. J Jude xlv- 25.



§ 174. The CHURCH CATECMlSM

explained, by ivay of^ejlion and Anfv.'er,

Part L The Chriftian Covenant.

S E c T . I. Of the Benefits of Baptifm ; or the
Mercies afforded on God's Fart,

Quell. What is your name ?
Anfw. N. or M.

Q^ What do you call this name wliich
you anfwer by ?

A. I call it my chriflian name.
Q^ Why do you call it your chriftian
name ?

A. Eecaufe it was given me when I was
made a chriftian.

Q^ Why are you here afked this name ?
A. To put me in mind of the faith I pro-
feffed, and the vows that I made at my bap-
tifm, when this name was given me.
Q^ Who gave you this name ?
A. My godfathers and godmothers in my
baptifm ; wherein I was made a member of
Chrift, the child of God, and an inheritor of
the kingdom of heaven.

Q^ Why did your godfathers and god-
mothers give you your chriftian name ?

A. Becaufe they prefented me to my
baptifm, and gave fecurity to the church for
my chriftian education.

Q^ What are the privileges you receive by-
being baptifed?

A. I am therebymade a memberof Chrift,
a child of God, and an inheritor of the
kingdom of heaven.

Q^ Why are you faid to be made a mem-
ber of Chrift, a child of God, and an inhe-
ritor of the kingdom of heaven ?

A. Becaufe 1 was not fo born, but made
fo by baptifm.

Q^ How do you prove this by fcripture?
A. V>Y Eph. ii. 3. « And were by na-
ture the children of wrath.'

John i, 12, 13. 'As many as received
him, to them gave he power [privilege]
to become the fons of God: which were
born, not of blood, nor of the v/ill of -the
flefti, nor of the will of man, but of God.'

John iii. 5, 6. ' Except a man be born
of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter
into the kingdom of God. That which is
born of the fleih is flefh.'

Q^ What is it to be a member of Chrift >
A. It is to be a member of Chrift's
church, and thereby united to Chrift as our
head.

Qi Why is a member of Chrift's church
faid to be a member of Chrift ?
A, .Becaufe the church is called the body .
R of



44*



ELEGANT EXTRACTS,



Book h



of Chrlft, and Chrift is called the head of pomps and vanity of this wicked world, and
that body. all the finful lufts of the flefh. Secondly,

Q^ Where is the church called the body That I ftiould believe all the articles of the



of Chrift, and Chrift the head of the
church ?

A. In Eph. i. 22, 23
which is his body.'

Eph. V. 23. * ehrift is the head of the
church.'

Q^ How do you prove, that by baptifm
yon are made a member of Chrift's church ?

A. Becaufe Chrift appointed, and



The church.



His



apoftles always ufed baptifm as the way of and the flelh.
admittance into the church. '^ "n.-. .

Q^ What is it to be a child of God ?

A. It is to be one whom God in an efpe-
cial manner loves, as a father does his child.

Q^ Why are you firft faid to be a member
of Chrift, and then a child of God ?

A. Becaufe it is through Chrift that I
am made a child of God.

Q^ How do you prove from fcripture,
that by baptifm you were made a child of
God?

A. From Rom, viil. 15. * Ye have re-
ceived the fpirit of adoption, whereby we
cry Abba, Father.'

Gal. iii. 26, 27. • Ye are all the children
of God by faith in Chrift Jefas : for as many



chriftian faith. And thirdly. That I ftiould
keep God's holy will and commandments,
and walk in the fame all the days of my
life.

Q^ What is it that you here proraife to
renounce ?

A. I promife to renounce the three fpi-
ritual enemies to my prefent and future