ing elsewhere thanked God that he had baptized none, but Crispus and Gaius, and the household of Stephanas. And what additional evidence can any man in reason require, either in favour of confirmation itself, or in proof of its being only performed by the highest order in the Christian priesthood? An order now known to episcopalians alone; in whose judgment, and as you have already seen, in the judgment of all antiquity, bishops are the duly authorized successors and representatives of the Apostles, by whom they were exclusively empowered both to ordain and confirm in the one holy universal Church. What additional evidence can any man in reason require?

I repair as usual to the fathers of the primitive Church, and find myself at once surrounded by testimony, inferiour only to that of the Apostles. Among the most renowned of them is Tertullian, a writer of acknowledged merit of the second century, about eighty years after the death of John. He informs us, in the clearest terms, that "After baptism, is the laying on of hands; by blessing and prayer, inviting the Holy Spirit, who graciously descends from the Father upon the bodies cleansed and blessed by baptism." And again, "The flesh is sealed, that the soul may be defended, the flesh is shadowed by imposition of hands, that the soul may be illuminated by the Spirit."

To him succeeded, after the lapse of fifty years, Cyprian the fa- . mous bishop of Carthage, who is not less explicit in his language, and indeed traces up confirmation to the Apostles themselves: "They who believed in Samaria, were baptized; prayer was said over them, and hands laid upon them, that the Holy Ghost might be invoked and poured upon them; which" he continues "is still the custom with us, that they who are baptized into the Church, should be solemnly dedicated by the bishops of the Church, and may receive the Holy Ghost by the imposition of hands."

Cornelius, of the same age, and bishop of Rome, speaking of a celebrated disorganizer, uses these remarkable words; "Though Novatus were baptized, yet being not consummated with the seal of confirmation, he could not receive the Holy Ghost."

Ambrose, bishop of Milan, who flourished in the middle of the fourth century, reminds the youthful Christian, "Thou hast received the spiritual seal, God the Father hath sealed thee, Christ hath confirmed thee." And elsewhere, "By imposition of hands it is

believed the Spirit may be received, which is wont to be done after baptism, by the bishop, for the confirmation of unity in the Church."

More copious evidence than this cannot surely be expected; it supersedes the necessity of argument, and I will only annex the equally satisfactory account of Jerome, who lived in the fourth century, and who observes; "It is the custom of the Church for bishops to go and invoke the Holy Spirit by imposition of hands, on such as were baptized by presbyters and deacons, in villages and places remote from the mother Church." "Do you ask," he says, "where this is written? In the Acts of the Apostles," is his reply. Words more definite or luminous, cannot be chosen, and when united with the preceding extracts, they form the unequivocal testimony of numerous highly distinguished and pious Christian divines of the primitive Church, in favour of the Apostolick origin and universal observance of confirmation, or the laying on of hands upon the disciples of Jesus.

Who then shall presume to disparage its virtue, or to pronounce it an innovation upon ecclesiastical discipline and the ordinances divinely established? Are we wiser than the Fathers, more competent to understand the facts recorded in the scriptures, and better qualified to bear testimony to the doctrines and institutions, which obtained in the earliest times? Are we even wiser than those . scriptures themselves, than Paul, and Peter, and John, who spake and acted as they were moved by the Holy Ghost? Let me not hear of Roman Catholick corruptions, a most favourite theme, with which to impose upon the prejudices of the multitude. This rite and these testimonies existed long before the rise of popery, and the single circumstance of its unlimited adoption speaks volumes in behalf of its heavenly origin.

Upon no other principle can we account for the undeviating practice of it, on the part of all Christendom. If it had been the invention of uninspired men, opposition would have discovered itself in some quarter or other. But in the best and purest ages, it appears to have been as extensively known and embraced as either of the sacraments; an event, that would have been morally impossible, had it not commenced in demonstration of the Spirit and in power; and therefore Jerome boldly argues," if there were no authority of scripture for it, yet the consent of all the world, in this particular, is as good as a command;" that is, as clearly shows its Apostolick

derivation. You cannot say this of presbyterianism or of publick extemporary prayer; they never were universal; they sprung into existence in the sixteenth century, have always been strenuously . opposed, and are still neglected by an immense majority of Chris

tians.

Happy then, Brethren, are those, who adhere to a Church, under whose auspices, they may yet enjoy the sanctifying ordinance under review; this merciful medium of grace, recommended to our affectionate regard, as well by its divine sanction, as by the universal usage of all, who for the first fifteen centuries of the Christian dispensation, named the name of Christ.

And even when the reformation in continental Europe introduced, through what was deemed necessity, a new order of things, throwing away with the tares of superstition, many pure grains of heavenly wheat; even then it was but slowly and with great apparent reluctance, that the rite of confirmation, was abandoned. I gather this from Calvin, who would seem to identify it, with the laying on of hands enumerated among the rudiments of Christianity by St. Paul, and who remarks, that "Young persons, when their infancy was past, and they had been instructed in their faith, offered themselves for catechism, which they had after baptism; but another rite was applied, viz: the imposition of hands." In another work, the fourth book of his institutes, he even explains the benefits attached to its celebration, saying, "It was an ancient custom in the Church for the children of Christians, after they were come to years of discretion, to be presented to the bishop, in order to fulfil that duty which was required of adults who offered themselves to baptism. For such persons were placed among the catechumens, till, being duly instructed in the mysteries of Christianity, they were enabled to make a confession of their faith before the bishop and all the people. Therefore, those who had been baptized in their infancy, because they had not then made such a confession of faith before the Church, at the close of childhood, or the commencement of adolescence, were again presented by their parents, and were examined by the bishop according to the form of the catechism which was then in common use. That this exercise, which deserved to be regarded as sacred and solemn, might have the greater dignity and reverence, they also practised the ceremony of imposition of hands. Thus the youth, after having given satisfaction respecting his faith, was dis missed with a solemn benediction."

Thus you perceive, that while he acknowledges it to have been re quired of persons baptized in adult years, he also admits, that the custom was very ancient in relation to such as were baptized in infancy. Afterwards he confesses, that Jerome considered it “a cus1 tom of the Apostles," and that he represented it to have been "committed wholly to the bishops." The great reformer was indeed utterly opposed, as we are, to the Roman views of confirmation being a sacrament of the Gospel; but still, at the conclusion of the passages I have cited, he observes, "Such imposition of hands, therefore, as is simply connected with benediction, I highly approve, and wish it was now restored to its primitive use, uncorrupted by superstition." How similar to the solicitude expressed by Melancthon on the subject of episcopacy; "I would to God it lay in me to restore the government of bishops." But alas it is more easy to open the floodgates of errour, than, once opened, to arrest the desolating progress of the stream. The reformers found it thus. Melancthon sighed in vain for an Apostolick episcopacy; Calvin, for what we contend to be the equally Apostolick rite of confirmation. They could not control the waters themselves had taught to flow. Carried away by the impetuous torrent, they could not prevail upon the new Churches to retrace their misguided steps. Luther was wiser, he retained the rite under discussion; it is still practised in the Lutheran Churches, and by those in Bohemia. diversified sects, it is altogether renounced; it is copalians alone to yield a hearty obedience to its scriptural authority, and to partake of its spiritual blessings.

But by our own reserved to epis

In what manner, you may discover by a reference to the book of Common Prayer, in which the ceremony commences with an exposition of the following import; "To the end that confirmation may be ministered to the more edifying of such as shall receive it, the Church hath thought good to order, that none shall be confirmed, but such as can say the creed, the Lord's prayer, and the ten commandments; and can also answer to such other questions, as in the short catechism are contained: Which order is very convenient to be observed; to the end that children, being now come to years of discretion, and having learned what their Godfathers and Godmothers promised for them in baptism, may 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 ever

more endeavour themselves faithfully to observe such things as they, by their own confession, have assented unto."

Confirmation, in her judgment, is, therefore, properly administer. ed to all baptized persons, who have attained an adequate knowledge of the elementary principles of their religion, and are so fully convinced of the necessity of making them the practical rule of their lives and conversation, as publickly to re-enact those baptismal vows, wherein they had before, either by themselves or by their sureties, "renounced the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of the world, with all covetous desires of the same, and the sinful desires of the flesh;" wherein they had declared their assent to "all the articles of the Christian faith, as contained in the Apostles' creed;" and solemnly covenanted, by the divine assistance, to "keep God's holy will and commandments, and walk in the same all the days of their life."

The language of the exposition is indeed more immediately ap. plicable to such as were baptized in infancy. But this has probably resulted from the desire of excluding candidates, until they have arrived at a suitable age, and does by no means militate with the confirming of persons, who from prejudice or gross misapprehension were suffered to remain destitute of this supplementary sign and seal of an inward and spiritual grace, during the period of their minority. For the bishop invariably inquires, "Do ye here, in the presence of God, and of this congregation, renew the solemn promise and vow that YE made, or that was made in your name, at your baptism; ratifying and confirming the same; and acknowledging yourselves bound to believe and to do all those things which ve then undertook, or your sponsors then undertook for you?" So that there is no exception. In the opinion of the Church, all persons that have been baptized should be confirmed.

Before however the ceremony can be rightly entertained, the recipients must possess the requisite qualifications, and these are, "repentance whereby they forsake sin; and faith whereby they steadfastly believe in the promises of God." Of all which they are seriously reminded in the exposition and question already rehearsed, when upon an affirmative answer the act of confirmation succeeds: The bishop craves the blessing of Almighty God, with the gracious influences of the Holy Ghost; and, while each candidate is prostrate upon his knees, imposes hands upon his head, and pro

P