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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56120	A sermon preached in the Parish-Church of Bridgewater, July 16, 1693, before the Right Reverend Father in God, Richard, Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells, at a confirmation by Fran. Prode ...	Prowde, Francis, 1653 or 4-1723.	1694 (1694)	Wing P3879; ESTC R6025	16,780	34

fuit ut Christianorum liberi postquam adoleverant coram Episcopo sisterentur says Mr. Calvin It was the Ancient Custom Instit l. c. 〈◊〉 19. for the Children of Christian Parents when they were fit for Confirmation to be brought before the Bishop And They are certainly to be condemned of gross Partiality and Vncharitableness say s Mr. Hanmer who blush not to say that the Bishops out of pride Mr. Hanmer on Confirm p. 51. have appropriated to themselves the Laying on of Hands in Confirmation And that Mr. Baxter allows this Rite to have been all along generally administred by Bishops must needs be evident to any one who reads his Book on Confirmation where he labours to prove that though Bishops did Anciently officiate in this Case yet that Presbyters might do it the Nature of the Thing and Necessity requiring Thus these unhappy Opposers of Episcopacy have recorded their Judgments But after all such is the Moderation of the purest and best constituted Church in the World I mean the Church of England in this Case that so the Divine End and Design of Confirmation be accomplished she does not censure those Churches which want Protestant Bishops I proceed to the Third particular I propounded to consider some Objections which are brought against this Usage And 1. Some will not permit Confirmation to derive from Apostolica Example and though the Primitive Church entertain'd it as such a Doctrine yet say they it was theirs and has been all along since a gross Mistake Thus I find Mr. Cartwright on the Rhemist's Testament and some others arguing Their main Argument is That those Texts of Scripture which are brought for Confirmation are all to be interpreted onely of conferring the Miraculous Gifts of the Holy Ghost And that when these Gifts ceased in the Church Confirmation vainly had its beginning To which in short it may be answered That it is clear even beyond denial that the Laying on of Hands joyn'd with Prayer was used in the conferring Grace or Divine Blessing long before the Apostles Times And farther it can never be proved that onely the Miraculous Gifts of the Holy Spirit were given by the Apostles in their Laying on of Hands But as the internal saving Gifts of the Spirit were more necessary in their own Nature and promised by our Saviour to the End of the World so they must be given by the Apostles and thence Confirmation obtained in the Christian Church Lib. 3. de Baptis Cap. 16. It is not now says St. Austin as it was that by the Testimony of temporal and sensible Miracles the Holy Ghost is by the Imposition of Hands given as formerly to recommend and demonstrate the Truth of the then new Christian Faith and for the Enlargement of the lately begun Church for who as he expostulates does now expect that those upon whom Hands are Imposed for the receiving the Holy Ghost should suddenly begin to speak with Tongues But invisibly says he is the Love of God inspired into their Hearts Thus St. Austin answers this Objection But indeed 't is very plain that the Prejudice of Mr. Cartwright and others against this Doctrine derives from their Abhorrence of Popish Superstition For This is evident from their Writings and this leads me to a Second Objection against Confirmation that it is a Popish usage and a Compliance with the Superstition of the Church of Rome and this tho' contrary to all reason has prejudiced too many against it Indeed it must be confessed that the Church of Rome has made Confirmation a Sacrament nay has gone farther preferred it to Baptism made it consist in opere operato bestowed it on Infants and clogged it with several unnecessary Ceremonies In short as they have done in other matters so they have robb'd it of its Apostolical Primitive Design and Decency and exposed it under a false Notion and in an antick Garb. But if this may be lawfully argued against Confirmation when 't is rightly used and applyed then must we cast off the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper In short reject Christianity it self because all or most of its admirable Doctrines have been abused and debauched by the Church of Rome For whoever seriously inquires into the nature of it will certainly find that the Doctrine of the Church of Rome as it differences it self from us is really made up of nothing but folly and contradiction to the Divine design of Christianity But to return the Church of England having removed from Confirmation all popish Superstition and Pretences to a Sacrament and having ordered a preparatory Catechism for all those to learn and competently to understand who shall be admitted to it In short having taken all possible care to answer the design of its Primitive Institution to impress upon the thoughts of youth a great and lasting Veneration for Religion obliges them to consider and reassume in their own Persons what their Sureties promised for them in their Baptism In short that they will believe and behave themselves as becomes Christians These things premised they are by fervent Prayer attended with the Apostolical sign of Laying on of Hands recommended to God and the happy Effects of their own pious resolves Now if this be a true tho' short account of the Church of England's design in Confirmation how unreasonable is it for any one to object against it as Popish and Superstitious But I shall conclude this Objection with an agreeable passage I find in Mr. Baxter's Postscript to his Tract on Confirmation Some will say says he it is mere Prelacy or a Prelatical design and some that it is Independancy or an Independant design and some that it is but Presbyterian Examination whereas they might know that it is proper to none of them which is common to them all If it be Prelacy how comes it to be found with Independants If if be Independancy how comes it to be approved by Prelates and Presbyterians Is it not rather like Christianity it self and the Truths and Duties we commonly own and therefore not to be appropriated to any Thus Mr. Baxter pressed on with the mighty force of Truth answers this Objection But 3. The saddest occasion of the most prevailing Objection against this Primitive usage is The evident want of an hearty and true concern for Religion for alas instead of the Primitive Christian Spirit of Piety and Unity a careless and prophane Temper or a furious and irregular Zeal have too apparently got the ascendant in our English world Hence we are too generally prejudiced against our Happiness and hence all our great misfortunes derive to be really a Christian is to be in love with all the Divine methods which lead us to Heaven to be sincerely devoted to all the genuine Acts of Piety Justice and Sobriety to practise whatever is acceptable to God lovely among Men and agreeable to the rational designs of our Natures These things demonstrate us Christians would make us happy here and

Their Infancy passed over and being catechized Children were admitted to the symbol of Imposition of Hands Inst l. 4. c. 19. and this one place of Scripture says Mr. Calvin plainly proves that this practice derived from the Apostles and in another place he has these words Vtinam verò morem hunc c. Would to God we might retain this Custom Of the same Judgment with these I find Beza Piscator Marloret and several others And here not to mention the extraordinary Zeal for this Doctrine declared by the many great Men of the Church of England whose Learning and Piety is famous throughout the Christian World I say not to mention these in our own Cause I shall onely in short remark two Instances more Mr. Baxter's Judgment in this case and that of the Assembly in their Annotations Mr. Baxter p. 102. in his Tract on Confirmation besides many other to the same End has these Words 1. Says he We find in Scripture a Blessing of Church-Members with Laying on of Hands 2. We find in Scripture that the Holy Ghost is in a special manner promised to believers over and above that measure of the Spirit which caused them to believe 3. We find that Prayer with Laying on of Hands was the outward means to be used by Christ's Ministers for the procuring of this Blessing 4. We sind that this was a fixed Ordinance to the Church and not a temporary thing Thus Mr. Baxter declares his Judgment The Assembly in their Annotations express themselves thus Laying on of Hands which is usually called Confirmation consisted 1. In examining those who had been baptized what progress they had made in the Doctrine of Christianity 2. In praying for them that God would continue them in the Faith and give them more Grace strengthening them by the Holy Ghost Now when the Chief Pastour or Pastours of the Church prayed for them they Laid their Hands upon them whence the Apostolical Constitution was called Laying on of Hands so they so St. Augustin and so most of the Fathers with one Consent Now from all this I hope I may justly inferr and that even from the Confession of some of those who have been unhappily prejudiced against our Communion That the design and usage of the Church in the case of Confirmation owes it self to a pious and judicious Respect to a truly Ancient and Apostolical Institution practised and recommended in all succeeding Ages of the Church as a Means of conferring farther spiritual strength and the Advancements of Divine Grace To impress upon tender and capable Thoughts a signal and lasting Reverence and Dread of the Divine Majesty and an agreeable Care and Concern for that Holy Religion which they espoused in their Baptism by the Means of others But I proceed to the Second particular briefly to observe the qualification of the Persons to whom the administring of Confirmation seems to have been originally assigned And here 't is much more than probable that according to Apostolical Example and all along after the Apostles till of very late Years the Office of Confirmation was constantly performed by the chief Governours of the Church called Bishops 'T is very evident that our Blessed Lord himself made an original distinction among those whom he constituted and ordained Officers in in s Church He well knew that an Imparity in Church Officers naturally promotes peace would lay a Foundation for that Unity which he all along so highly recommends and which indeed belongs to the. Nature and Design of that happy Religion which he came to establish and promote in the World To this purpose we find the plain Distinction of twelve Apostles and seventy or seventy two Disciples When one of the select Twelve betrayed his Master immediately one of the Seventy was chosen in his place Now if the Office of these and their Power in the Church were the same why do we meet with this Distinction between Apostles and Disciples Some Inequality of Order and Power in the then Officers of the Church we must hence discover and that likewise instituted by our Saviour himself This Distinction which is founded even in the Nature of Things and is so absolutely necessary in the World could not be forgot by our Blessed Lord who knew all things now agreeably to this Notion to go no farther than my Text and the preceding Verses we read that when the Apostles to whom the Power of governing the Church then belonged being at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the Word of God they immediately sent two of their own Number to wit St. Peter and St. John to administer Confirmation For though we read that the Samaritans were baptized by Philip and that his Miraculous Works among them demonstrated him to be a very extraordinary Person yet 't is evident this did not qualifie him for administring Confirmation that being an Office which then belonged to the Apostles by reason of that Superiority over the then Infant Church our Saviour had invested them with And which according to this his first Institution was all along afterwards continued in a Succession of Bishops Blondel and Salmasius themselves the great and learned Defenders of Presbytery own Bishops to have been accounted Superiour to Presbyters even in the next Age to the Apostles But this they labour to prove was an Incroachment of Episcopacy But whoever sincerely reads their Writings and the Famous Monsieur Daillé on the same Subject will find such struggles of Thought and forcing of Argument in short such obstinate Resolves to maintain a Cause as instead of disapproving recommends the Truth they design to baffle Particularly whoever calmly observes Mr. Daillé s violent Efforts against Ignatius's Epistles which clearly give the Cause for Episcopacy must needs own that he never saw Opinion more strangely prevail against Truth and Judgment For that great Man observing several of Ignatius his Epistles describing the Constitution of the Hierarchy in his Time by the several distinct Orders of Bishop Presbyter and Deacon is so extremely furious against them that rather than drop his own dear Opinion he offers such Arguments as indeed reflect upon all Antiquity even the Sacred Canon of Scripture it self not excepted But having briefly hinted thus much I might proceed to shew that according to this Superiority of Order and Office this right of governing the Church which was first lodg'd in the Apostles of our Saviour and wherewith the Bishops were after them de facto invested I say according to this Primitive Custom and Example was the Administration of Confirmation assigned to Episcopacy in the succeeding Ages of the Church To this purpose Dialog advers Lucif St. Hierom tells us That non nisi per manus Episcopi c. By the Hands of the Bishop onely was Confirmation administred But waving this Sort of Proof I shall onely add the plain Confessions in this Case of some Persons who were far from being interested in the Episcopal Cause Hic mos olim

their negligence is eternally ruined how natural a Punishment is confusion and torment of thought to such a Crime as this What can more aggravate the Misery of the damned than to reflect they have brought others into their place of torment Nay how peculiarly close must this pain of thought stick to that Parent who is forced to animadvert he has for ever undone his own Off-spring 3. By the due use of Confirmation Children themselves would out of a pleasant pious Emulation happily enquire after Divine knowledge in order to their being Confirmed would endeavour to know Christianity betimes Thus might those little ambitious thoughts which generally shew themselves in these tender years be disposed to a Divine contrivance even to lay a Foundation for Vertue and to frustrate the Tendency of natural Corruption 4. By this means there would be made deep and listing Impressions concerning the Obligations of our most holy Faith For how can the Solemnity which attends Confirmation be easily forgot Tn the Presence of God the Bishop and a publick Assembly we declare our selves Christians own our baptismal Vow and promise we will ever sincerely endeavour to perform it Now how can we chuse but remember this through the whole Course of our Lives What a mighty influence must this day always have upon our thoughts what Encouragements to Vertue and what Arguments against Vice must we hence needs derive In the Primitive times of Christianity the Adult baptized had a white Garment delivered to them immediately after Baptism this Garment they wore for a week and then 't was deposited in the Church 'T was to signifie the Innocency which should belong to a Christian and to fix that Impression upon their thoughts Now the Office of Confirmation must needs answer this excellent Design can't fail of impressing lively and lasting ideas of our Duty must necessarily mind us of and oblige us to perform it 5. The Doctrine of Confirmation rightly attended to would prove an admirable means to ease the thoughts of those who are Sureties for Infants at their Baptism and to acquit them from their heavy Charge For so great is the Obligation which such persons take upon themselves that nothing but a strange Stupidity and the Apathy which is owing to an habit of sinning can render them insensible they solemnly in the name of the Child promise and vow to God that they will renounce the World the Flesh and the Devil This besides what their own Obligations to Christianity engage them to they are bound to perform and sincerely to endeavour that the Child be made sensible of this their Obligation which till they have performed and the Child at Confirmation has released them from their Vows by taking it upon it self they stand bound to God and upon the failure of their Promise are continually exposed to the Divine Displeasure How happy would it be for the Christian World were these things rightly considered How evidently would Piety prosper among us and how apparently would that only true Felicity of mankind Peace of Conscience make Men happy In short these our Vows to God are very solemn and of great moment and as Solomon tells us the infinitely holy God can't possibly take Pleasure in such Fools who take no care to perform them so that whoever neglects this Vow how insensible soever he may be of his Circumstances he can't enjoy any true quiet or peace of Conscience 6. By the right use of Confirmation the Anabaptists greatest Objection would be fully and naturally answered it would silence their great Clamour about Faith and Repentance For tho' the Practise of the Jews in reference to Circumcision and the undeniable Custom of baptizing Infants even from ultimate Antiquity in the Christian Church and the several plain Declarations of Scripture in this Case are sufficient evidence yet the Doctrine of Confirmation duely attended to may justly put an end to all their Quarrel Here the baptized Person with all the Solemnity imaginable in his own Person owns his baptismal Vow professes himself a Christian and declares he will ever by the Grace of God endeavour to live according to that most holy Faith In short by the Doctrine of Confirmation this Objection of the Anabaptists seems to have been anticipated and perhaps I may add that the due use of it in the early Times of Christianity was the reason we then heard of no such Party in the World But When through the Decay of Piety and the Corruption of the Church of Rome Confirmation began to be slighted and wrong applied then did an Opposition to Infant Baptism perhaps not unreasonably take its beginning 7. By the right use of Confirmation the Sacrament of the Lords Supper would be more duely frequented This great positive Command of the Holy Jesus which was designed by him to such admirable Purpose among his sincere Followers would by the Means of that Preparation of Thought which Confirmation requires and which by that Divine Assignment is communicated be highly valued and piously approached It would by this Means in a great Measure gain its pristine Honour and Intenseness of Devotion The want of which among us is very dismal to consider and seems sadly to foretel the Ruine of Religion But 8. Were the Doctrine of Confirmation duely attendedto the Unity of the Church of God would be more happily maintained Men would blush to leave the Communion of that Church upon a slight or no consideration which they so solemnly owned when they were confirmed They could not pick Quarrels out of a Lightness of Temper a Desire of Novelty in short such an Influence must the Administration of this Office have upon Men's Thoughts that nothing less than the being guilty of evident Sin which is the onely just Cause of Separation would divide them from that Communion which they once with such Solemnity chose to themselves Now how happy an Effect would this be how acceptable to God how pleasing among Men how like even to Heaven To conclude Were the Doctrine of Confirmation duly valued it would lay the Foundation for such a sincere Practice of Chiristianity as would promote both our publick and private Peace and Happiness would pat a stop to that malign Influence which Impiety and Prophaneness hive upon us And finally would bless the World as the Holy Jesus designed his admirable Religion should do All which God of his Infinite Mercy grant us for the alone Sake of the same Meritorious Jesus to whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit three Persons and One God be all Honour and Glory Might Majesty and Dominion now and for ever Amen FINIS