¶ Or:

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: the LORD make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: the LORD lift up his countenanee upon thee, and give thee peace.

¶ Taking the child's or person's right hand in his, the Minister may say: This child [or this person] now baptized with water is received into the LORD's Church on earth; to the end that by the baptism of repentance and regeneration he may finally be received into the LORD's kingdom in heaven.

Then [having returned the child to its Parents or Friends], he may address the following

Exhortation to Adults.

DEARLY

Beloved :

I

To Parents or Guardians. EARNESTLY exhort you who have the care of this child to take charge of his education and as far as lies in your power to see that he be properly taught the principles of true religion. For what will he be profited if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Let him therefore be carefully instructed. in the holy Word and in the heavenly doctrines of the New Jerusalem; and particularly see that he learn by heart the LORD'S Prayer, The Ten Commandments and the Faith of necessity of shunning con- the New Church. Above

You have now been admitted by the gate of baptism into the communion of the LORD's True Church and have taken upon yourself in the most solemn manner the Christian name. I earnestly exhort you therefore to be faithful to the sacred obligations which this name implies. To this end cultivate with all diligence an acquaintance with the holy Word, and with the heavenly doctrines of the New Jerusalem. But particularly remember

the

tinually all evils as sins against GOD, of renouncing the dominion of selflove and the love of the world, and of loving the LORD above all things and your neighbor as yourself. So will you be providing for your happiness in this life and for your eternal salvation in the world to come.

all teach him the necessity of shunning continually all evils as sins against GOD, of renouncing the love of self, and of the world, and of loving the LORD above all things and his neighbor as himself. So will you be providing for his happiness in this life and for his eternal salvation in the world to come.

¶ Then may be read the following:

ND these words, which I command thee, shall be in thy heart and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children; and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

¶ When the Baptism is administered apart from any other Service, one of the following Selections may then be sung-26, 69, 71, 90, 111—or in place thereof a suitable Hymn or Anthem.

¶ Then the Minister may say:

Let us give thanks.

E give Thee thanks, O LORD our heavenly Father,

WE

that Thou hast enabled us to obey thy command in the baptism of thy servant [or this child]. Support him, we beseech Thee, in the hour of temptation, that he may overcome and be made a pillar in thy temple, and go no more out forever. Amen.

When the Baptism is not connected with any other Service, the assembly may be dismissed with the following

BENEDICTION.

THE grace of our LORD JESUS CHRIST be with you

all. Amen.

CONFIRMATION;

THE FIRST

OR,

COMMUNION.

When a person has been baptized as an infant, or before being instructed in the truths of the New Church, and afterwards, by receiving instruction and endeavoring to reform his life according thereto, has made suitable preparation for the Holy Supper, and desires to partake of it, it is fitting that he should openly declare his desire and intention; in order that he may make just confession to the Lord, and that the Church may welcome him to the enjoyment of this great blessing. In the case of adults who have not been baptized before coming to a rational acknowledgment of those truths, receiving the Sacrament of Baptism may be considered a sufficient declaration and profession; in which case the Minister may make use of the fuller statement of Doctrines which is given in this Service, and any other portions of it that he may desire.

THERE

PREPARATORY INSTRUCTION.

are two states which man is to enter and pass through, while from natural he becomes spiritual; the first state is called reformation, and the second regeneration. A man in the first state looks from that which is natural in himself toward the spiritual, and desires it; in the second state he becomes spiritual-natural.

The first state is formed by the truth which will be of faith, by which he looks toward charity; the second is formed by the goods of charity, and from these he enters into the truths of faith. Or, what is the same thing, the first state is of thought from the understanding; but the second is of love from the will. When this state begins and advances a change takes place in the mind; for there is a reversal; because then the love of the will flows into the understanding, and impels and leads it to think in accordance and agreement with its love; wherefore as

far as the good of love then acts the first part, and the truths of faith the second, so far the man is spiritual, and is a new creature; and then he acts from charity, and speaks from faith; and feels the good of charity and perceives the truth of faith; and he is then in the LORD and in peace, and thus regenerated.

The man who in the world has begun the first state, after death can be introduced into the second; but he who has not entered into the first state in the world, can not after death be introduced into the second, thus can not be regenerated.

That man must be regenerated, is manifest from all reason; for he is born into evils of every kind from his parents, and these evils reside in his natural man, which of itself is diametrically opposite to the spiritual man. And yet, he is born for heaven ; but he does not come to heaven, unless he become spiritual, and this can only be by regeneration.

The new generation or creation is effected by the LORD alone, through charity and faith as the two means, with the coöperation of man. Because all have been redeemed all can be regenerated, every one according to his state. The first act of the new generation is called reformation, which is of the understanding; and the second act is called regeneration, and is of the will, and thence of the understanding. The internal man is first to be reformed, and by this the external; and man is thus regenerated So far as man is regenerated, his sins are removed; and this removal is the remission of sins.

They come to the Holy Supper worthily, who are in faith in the LORD, and in charity toward their neighbor; thus who are regenerate.

Man is continually kept, so long as he is in this world, in a state wherein repentance and conversion shall be possible for him; for the LORD is perpetually present, and urges that He may be received, saying, "Behold I stand at the door and knock, if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in unto him and will sup with him and he with me.

Baptism and the Holy Supper are as it were two gates, through which man is introduced into eternal life. After the first gate there is a plain, over which he must run, and the second is the goal where is the prize to which he directed his course; for the palm is not given until after the combat, nor the reward till the contest is decided. [T. C. R. 571 et seq.; 722, 720, 721.]

THE RITE OF CONFIRMATION.

The Candidates standing before the Minister, he will read one or more of the following portions of

THE GOSPEL.

HERE was a man sent from GOD, whose name was

THERE

John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light; but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world; and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto his own, and his own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the children of GOD, even to them that believe on his name; who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of GOD. John i. 6–13.

JES

ESUS answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he can not enter into the kingdom of GOD. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth. So is every one that is born of the Spirit. John iii. 5-8.

I

AM the true Vine, and my Father is the Husbandman. Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit, He taketh away and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit.

Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the