admitting such into the bosom of the true Church, as hath been declared already in the question of rebaptization. But the general received custom was only to admit them with imposition of hands and prayer. Of which custom, while some imagined the reason to be for that heretics might give remission of sins by baptism, but not the Spirit by imposition of hands, because themselves had not God's Spirit, and that therefore their baptism might stand, but confirmation must be given again: the imbecility of this ground gave Cyprian occasion to oppose himself against the practice of the Church herein, labouring many ways to prove that heretics could do neither; and, consequently, that their baptism in all respects was as frustrate as their chrism; for the manner of those times was, in confirming, to use anointing. On the other side, against Luciferians, which ratified only the baptism of heretics, but disannulled their confirmations and consecrations, under pretence of the reason which hath been before specified, "heretics cannot give the Holy Ghost;" St. Jerome proveth at large, that if baptism by heretics be granted available to remission of sins, which no man receiveth without the Spirit, it must needs follow that the reason taken from disability of bestowing the Holy Ghost was no reason wherefore the Church should admit converts with any new imposition of hands. Notwithstanding, because it might be objected, that if the gift of the Holy Ghost do always join itself with true baptism, the Church, which thinketh the bishop's confirmation after other men's baptism needful for the obtaining of the Holy Ghost, should hold an error, St. Jerome hereunto

maketh answer, that the cause of this observation is not any absolute impossibility of receiving the Holy Ghost by the sacrament of baptism, unless a bishop add after it the imposition of hands, but rather a certain congruity and fitness to honour prelacy with such preeminences, because the safety of the Church dependeth upon the dignity of her chief superiors, to whom if some eminent offices of power above others should not be given, there would be in the Church as many schisms as priests. By which answer, it appeareth his opinion was, that the Holy Ghost is received in baptism; that confirmation is only a sacramental complement; that the reason why bishops alone did ordinarily confirm, was not because the benefit, grace, and dignity thereof is greater than of baptism; but rather, for that by the sacrament of baptism men being admitted into God's Church, it was both reasonable and convenient that if he baptize them not, unto whom the chiefest authority and charge of their souls belongeth, yet for honour's sake, and in token of his spiritual superiority over them; because to bless is an act of authority", the performance of this annexed ceremony should be sought for at his hands. Now, what effect their imposition of hands hath either after baptism administered by heretics or otherwise, St. Jerome in that place hath made no mention, because all men understood that in converts it tendeth to the fruits of repentance, and craveth in behalf of the penitent such grace as David after his fall desired at the hands of God; in others the fruit and benefit thereof is that which hath been before showed. Finally, sometime the cause of severing confirma

a Heb. vii. 7.

b Psalm li. 10-12.

tion from baptism was in the parties that received baptism being infants; at which age they might be very well admitted to live in the family; but because to fight in the army of God, to discharge the duties of a Christian man, to bring forth the fruits and to do the works of the Holy Ghost, their time of ability was not yet come (so that baptism were not deferred), there could by stay of their confirmation no harm ensue, but rather good. For by this mean, it came to pass that children, in expectation thereof, were seasoned with the principles of true religion, before malice and corrupt examples depraved their minds; a good foundation was laid betimes for direction of the course of their whole lives; the seed of the Church of God was preserved sincere and sound; the prelates and fathers of God's family, to whom the cure of their souls belongeth, saw by trial and examination of them a part of their own heavy burden discharged, reaped comfort by beholding the first beginnings of true godliness in tender years, glorified Him whose praise they found in the mouths of infants, and neglected not so fit opportunity of giving every one fatherly encouragement and exhortation. Whereunto imposition of hands and prayer being added, our warrant for the good effect thereof is the same which patriarchs, prophets, priests, apostles, fathers, and men of God have had for such their particular invocations and benedictions; as no man, I suppose, professing truth of religion, will easily think to have been without fruit.

No; there is no cause we should doubt of the benefit, but surely great cause to make complaint of the

deep neglect of this Christian duty, almost with all them to whom, by right of their place and calling, the same belongeth. Let them not take it in evil part, the thing is true: their small regard hereunto hath done harm in the Church of God. That which error rashly uttereth in disgrace of good things may peradventure be sponged out, when the print of those evils which are grown through neglect will remain behind.

Thus much, therefore, generally spoken, may serve for answer unto their demands, that require us to tell them "why there should be any such confirmation in the Church," seeing we are not ignorant how earnestly they have protested against it; and how directly (although untruly, for so they are content to acknowledge)

a T. C. lib. i. p. 199. "Tell me why there should be any such confirmation in the Church, being brought in by the feigned decretal epistles of the Popes," (this is retracted by the same T. C. lib. iii. p. 232.: That it is ancienter than the feigned decretal epistles I yield unto:') "and no one tittle thereof being once found in the Scripture, and seeing that it hath been so horribly abused, and not necessary, why ought it not to be utterly abolished? And thirdly, this confirmation hath many dangerous points in it. The first step of popery in this confirmation is the laying on of hands upon the head of the child, whereby the opinion that it is a sacrament is confirmed; especially when as the prayer doth say that it is done according to the example of the Apostles, which is a manifest untruth, and taken indeed from the Popish confirmation. The second is for that the bishop, as he is called, must be the only minister of it, whereby the popish opinion which esteemeth it above baptism is confirmed. For whilst baptism may be ministered of the minister, and not confirmation, but only of the bishop, there is great cause of suspicion given to think that baptism is not so precious a thing as confirmation, seeing this was one of the principal reasons whereby that wicked opinion was established in popery. I do not here speak of the inconvenience that men are constrained with charges to bring their children oftentimes half a score miles for that which, if it were needful, might be as well done at home in their own parishes. The third is for that the book saith a cause of using confirmation is that by imposition of hands and prayer the children may receive strength and defence against all temptations, whereas there is no promise that by the laying on of hands upon children any such gift shall be given; and it maintaineth the popish distinction that the Spirit of God is given at baptism unto remission of sins, and in confirmation unto strength."

"

it hath by some of them been said to be " first brought in by the feigned decretal epistles of the popes;" or why it should not be "utterly abolished, seeing that no one tittle thereof can be once found in the whole Scripture,' except the Epistle to the Hebrews be Scripture"; and again seeing that how free soever it be now from abuse, if we look back to the times past, which wise men do always more respect than the present, it hath been abused, and is found at the length no such profitable ceremony as the whole silly Church of Christ for the space of these sixteen hundred years hath through want of experience imagined: last of all, "seeing," also, besides the cruelty which is showed towards poor country people, who are fain sometime to let their ploughs stand still, and with incredible wearisome toil of their feeble bodies to wander over mountains and through woods, it may be, now and then, little less than a whole "halfscore of miles" for a bishop's blessing, bishop's blessing, "which, if it were needful, might as well be done at home in their own parishes," rather than they to purchase it with great loss and so intolerable pain; there are, they say, in confirmation, besides this, three terrible points.

"

The first is, "laying on of hands with pretence that the same is done to the example of the Apostles, which is not only, as they suppose, a manifest untruth" (for all the world doth know that the Apostles did never, after baptism, lay hands on any, and therefore St. Luke, which saith they did, was much deceived) b but farther also, we thereby teach men to think imposition of hands a sacrament, belike because it is a principle engrafted by common light of nature in the minds

a Heb. vi. 2.

Acts, viii. 15, 17.