though innocent in themselves, must be avoided by them as Temptations to Sin. They may then be large in their Profeffion of Repentance; earneft in their Supplication for Mcrey and Forgiveness; particular in their firm Purposes and Refolutions of better Obedience; importunate for further Measures of God's Grace to ftrengthen and enable them to the Performance of their Duty. And this they will find by Experience, that the daily Trial of themfelves will facilitate thefe larger and more particular Examinations.

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CHAP. XVIII.

FOR THURSDAY.

CONFIRMATION.

AS foon as we are born into this World of Danger, the Goodness of God has provided his Minifters to difpenfe to us holy Baptifin, and to wipe out the Guilt of our Birth, our Original Sin, by that Laver of Regeneration. When we come to riper Years, and understand what a folemn Vow, Promife, and Profeffion we then made, and are thereby rendered capable of making a public Profeffion of our Chriftian Faith; his

chief Minifters, the Bishops, to whom, as Governors of the Church, this folemn Rite is appropriated by all, the primitive Records of Chriftianity, ftand ready to lay their Hands upon us, and by fervent and authoritative Prayer, to confirm and cherish our growing Belief; procuring for us, by their praying over us and bleffing us, a propor tionable Degree of God's Grace and Holy Spirit, that we may be fo led into the Knowledge and Obedience of his Word, that in the End we may attain everlafting Life. The Advantages of Confirmation are,

1. A new Engagement to a Chriftian Life. The great Bufinefs we have in this World, is to fit and prepare ourselves for the Happiness of the next: We are now Candidates for Eternity, and according as we behave ourfelves in this our State of Pilgrimage, fo will our Lot and Portion be happy or miserable for ever. The ftronger therefore our Engagements are, to live according to our Chriftian Profeffion, the more probable it is we shall fucceed in the Difcharge of it: This folemn Rite therefore is of great Advantage to us, because it is a lafting Admonition and Check, not to difhonour our Chriftian Profeffion, when we have publickly, in the Face of the Congregation, declared our Refolution to live and die in the Faith and Obedience of a Difciple of the bleffed JESUS; becaufe it is a perpetual Warning not to defert the

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Banner of the Captain of our Salvation, having declared that we will fight under it to our Lives End.

2. It is a Teftimony of God's Favour and Goodness to thofe that receive it. Confidering what potent Enemies we have to encounter, the Devil, who by his Subtlety is ready to deceive; the World, which by its Flattery is ready to betray us: and the Fleth, a domeftic Enemy at hand to ruin us; nothing can be a greater Bleffing than divine Grace, to enable us to encounter all their various Attacks. Now this is conveyed to us in this folemn Rite, by the authoritative Prayer of God's lawful Minifter, ordained among other Ends for this very Purpose. Befides this lawful Minifter, declaring that God accepts our Proficiency, and advancing us to an higher Degree in the Church, by placing us among the Faithful, and giving us a Title to approach the Holy Table of the Lord, is a farther Mark of God's Kindnefs and Indulgence towards us; for hereby we are admitted to the most intimate Act of Communion with God, and are in a particular Manner made Partakers of the Benefits of that all-fufficient Sacrifice, whereby God the Father is rendered favourable and propitious to repenting Sinners.

3. It preferves the Unity of the Church. Were all young People duly prepared by fueh neceflary Inftructions as ought to pre

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cede Confirmation, they would certainly be acquainted with thofe Orders that God has eftablished in the Church for the Work of the Miniftry, and a Reason would be given them, why a Bishop, and not a Prefbyter, nor a Deacon, can adminifter that folemn Rite; this would make them fenfible of their Obligation to live in Epifcopal Communion; and convince them, that their Obedience is due to fuch Paftors and Ecclefiaftical Governors, as are endued with all thofe Powers that were left by the Apoftles to their Succeffors. How much this would tend to the Unity of the Church, is evident to all thofe who know what Breaches are made for want of this neceffary Knowledge; that Confirmation may have its due Effect, fince it is an Act that ought not to be repeated, the Candidates for this facred Ordinance ought to be thoroughly inftructed.

I. In the Nature of their Baptifmal Vow which they now ratify. Were the Orders of the Church better obferved, our Youth would be better prepared for this folemn Rite; for he requires, that none be prefented to the Bishop for Confirmation, till they can give an Account and Reason of their Faith; of which the Minifter, who is to prefent them, is to be the Judge; and not even then to be Confirmed, unlefs the Bishop approves of them. Now when they were made Members of the Church by Baptifin, there

was a Covenant ftipulated between God and them: He was pleafed gracioufly to conde-. fcend to adopt them for his Children, and to give them a Title to everlafting Glory; and they engaged to avoid every Thing that was evil, whether tempted to it by the Devil, the World, or the Flesh; to believe all those Doctrines that were revealed by Jefus Chrift, and to keep God's holy Will and Commandments, and to perfevere in the Practice of them. So that in this Covenant, the Favours and Bleffings God promifes, are made upon Condition we perform our Part. All this fhould be well underftood, before we ratify our Baptifinal Vow; for though to entitle usto the Privileges of Baptifin, the Church admits of Proxies, who promise for us; yet ratifying it perfonally at an Age of Underftanding, the requires we fhould be instructed in the Nature of it; which is neceflary in order to our Practice.

II. In the Nature of that Obligation they lie under to perform it. Though their Sureties made this Promife for them in their Infancy, yet they must always remember, that they made it in their Naine and Stead, and that the Engagement is really their own; and that as fure as the Privileges of Baptifin belong to them, fo fure are they obliged to make good the Conditions of it. As Members of Chrift's Church, they ftand bound to obferve all thofe Rules that conftitute that So