I

HOW

¶ Question.

d See p. 403

1

How many parts are there in a Sacrament?

¶ Answer.

Two; the outward visible sign, and the inward spiritual grace. ¶ Question.

What is the outward visible sign or form in Baptism?

Answer.

"Water; wherein the person is baptized In the Name of the FATHER, and of the Son, and of the HOLY GHOST.<

¶ Question.

What is the inward and spiritual grace?

Answer.

'A death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness for being by nature born in sin,

¶ Answer.

Two only, as generally necessary to salvation,

¶ Question.

grace"

by us.

¶ Question.

What is required of persons to be baptized?

¶ Answer.

*Repentance, whereby they forsake sin; and Faith, whereby they stedfastly believe the promises of GOD made to them in that Sacrament.

¶ Question.

grace.

the food necessary for the strengthening and nourishing our body and soul; so that, sustained by His hand, we may be enabled to live to His glory.

[V.] And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us. In the next petition we ask God to forgive us those trespasses which have separated us from Him, and to restore us to that peace which by our actions we have disturbed, even as we forgive our brethren, and renew that concord which has been broken by our quarrels.

[VI.] And lead us not into temptation. In the sixth petition we pray for the protection and support of God against the assaults of the Evil One, the flesh, and the world, for deliver. ance from all temptations.

[VII.] But deliver us from evil. By the seventh petition we seek deliverance from all evil, temporal and spiritual, and for the consummation of the work of God in our hearts and lives.

Two only, as generally necessary to salvation] The use of the word "generally" in the sense of "universally," may be illustrated by the two places in which it is to be found in the Holy Bible. The first is in 2 Sam. xvii. 11, "Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto thee, from Dan even to Beersheba: "the expression in the Vulgate being "universus Israel," and the LXX wâs 'Iσpanλ. The second is Jer. xlviii. 38, "There shall be lamentation generally upon all the housetops of Moab;" where the Vulgate reads "super omnia tecta Moab,” and the LXX ἐπὶ πάντων τῶν δωμάτων Mwaß. So also Bishop Hooper says, "Notwithstanding that God's promises be general, unto all people of the world, yet many shall be damned." [Declaration of the Ten Commandments.] Bishop Latimer, again, says, The promises of Christ are general; they pertain to all mankind." [Sermon on Parable of King's Son.] And, lastly, in the Prayer for the Parliament is the expression "this kingdom in general," which clearly means the whole of this kingdom, all persons therein. There are probably no instances to be found of any writer in the sixteenth or seventeenth centuries who used the word "generally" otherwise than with the meaning "universally;" and such is its meaning in this place.

46

The Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper are therefore declared to be the only Sacraments which are

necessary to the salvation of all persons; and, by implication, "those five commonly called Sacraments, that is to say, Confirmation, Penance, Orders, Matrimony, and Extreme Unction" [Article of Religion XXV.], are necessary only for particular classes of persons. So Bishop Bramhall respecting one of these, "We deny not Ordination to be a Sacrament, though it be not one of those two Sacraments which are 'generally necessary to salvation.'" [BRAMHALL'S Consecr. of Prot. Bish. vindic. Disc. v.] Among the Fathers the word sacrament was used almost in the same sense that we now use the word mystery, and was not restricted to any particular number. "As for the number of them," says the Homily of Common Prayer and Sacraments, "if they should be considered according to the exact signification of a sacrament, namely, for visible signs expressly commanded in the New Testament, whereunto is annexed the promise of free forgiveness, and of our holiness and joining in Christ, there be but two, namely, Baptism and the Supper of the Lord. . . . But in a general acceptation the name of a Sacrament may be attributed to anything whereby an holy thing is signified. In which understanding of the word, the ancient writers have given this name, not only to the other five commonly of late years taken and used for supplying the number of the Sacraments, but also to divers and sundry other ceremonies, as to oil, washing of feet, and suchlike; not meaning thereby to repute them as Sacraments in the same signification that the two forenamed Sacraments are. And although there are retained by the order of the Church of England, besides these two, certain other rites and ceremonies about the institution of ministers in the Church, Matrimony, Confirmation of children . . . and likewise for the Visitation of the Sick; yet no man ought to take these for Sacraments, in such signification and meaning as the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper are: but either for godly states of life, necessary in Christ's Church, and therefore worthy to be set forth by public action and solemnity by the ministry of the Church; or else judged to be such ordinances as may make for the instruction, comfort, and edification” [¿.e, oikoðbμnois] "of Christ's Church."

I mean an outrard and visible sign] This definition is

Question.

25.

2

I

Answer.

13.

9. 26.

k See p. 356

attributed to Peter Lombard, called the Master of the Sentences, in the twelfth century. The Homily just quoted (written about 1562) says, "The common description of a Sacrament, which is, that it is a visible sign of an invisible grace. The somewhat involved form of this answer may be made clearer by a paraphrase, as follows: "I mean an outward and visible sign (ordained by Christ Himself) of an inward and invisible spiritual grace, which grace is given unto us by God. This outward sign was ordained by Christ, first, as a means whereby we are to receive the inward grace, and, secondly, as a pledge to assure us of that inward grace; for the grace cannot ordinarily be separated from the sign which Christ has ordained.

and of the benefits which we receive thereby] These words as they now stand say that the Eucharist was instituted "for the continual remembrance . . . of the benefits which we receive

by the Death of Christ. But it is more probable that the

The Curate of every Parish shall diligently upon Sundays and Holydays, after the second Lesson at Evening Prayer, openly in the Church instruct and examine so many Children of his Parish sent unto him, as he shall think convenient, in some part of this Catechism.

¶ And all Fathers, Mothers, Masters, and Dames, shall cause their Children, Servants, and Prentices, (which have not learned their Catechism,) to come to the Church at the time appointed, and obediently to hear, and be ordered by the Curate, until such time as they have learned all that is here appointed for them to learn.

So soon as Children are come to a competent age, and can say, in their Mother Tongue, the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments; and also can answer to the other Questions of this short Catechism; they shall be brought to the Bishop. And every one shall have a Godfather, or a Godmother, as a Witness of their Confirmation.

¶ And whensoever the Bishop shall give knowledge for Children to be brought unto him for their Confirmation, the Curate of every Parish shall either bring, or send in writing, with his hand subscribed thereunto, the names of all such persons within his Parish, as he shall think fit to be presented to the Bishop to be confirmed. And, if the Bishop approve of them, he shall confirm them in manner following.

meaning intended should be expressed by the words “and for the benefits which we receive" by the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, so instituted as a sacrificial Memorial before God of the Sacrifice of the Death of Christ. In the Sealed Books the words stand as in the text above, as also they do in the MS. of the Prayer Book. But in the Black-Letter Prayer Book of 1636 preserved with the latter [see pp. 33, 35] they originally stood as in all editions from 1604 to 1662"and the benefits which we receive thereby," the "of" being written in red ink above the line. The meaning suggested as that which was intended agrees exactly with that expressed in the third question and answer beyond.

For expositions of the doctrine of the Sacraments, see the Introductions to, and Notes on, the Offices for Holy Baptism and the Holy Communion. A detailed exposition of the whole Catechism will also be found in the author's Key to Christian Doctrine and Practice, founded on the Church Catechism.

FROM the earliest ages of the Christian Church, and in every part of it all over the whole world, until modern times, the rite of Confirmation has been considered essential to the full perfection of Christian life in those who have attained to years when they can discern fully between right and wrong. Nor have any Christians been ordinarily permitted by the Church to partake of the Holy Communion until after they had been confirmed.

The rite appears to have been administered at first by an Apostle or Bishop laying his hands on the head of the baptized person, but at a very early period the rite of unction was added. The Apostles St. Peter and St. John went down to Samaria to lay their hands on those who had been baptized by their Deacon Philip [Acts viii. 14-17]; “and they received the Holy Ghost," some new and special Gift being bestowed upon them by the Holy Ghost through that outward sign. In the same manner St. Paul laid his hands on the Ephesian disciples of St. John the Baptist as soon as they had been “baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus." [Acts xix. 5.] In the latter case, and probably also in the former, the Gift bestowed was accompanied by other gifts of miraculous powers; but these were clearly a special addition to the ordinary gift, and thus it was for the confirmation of previous Baptism that the Apostles administered the rite by the imposition of their hands. The anxious care of St. Paul for the administration of it to the Ephesians appears also to have a parallel in that which he expressed to the Roman Christians when he wrote to them, "I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established." [Rom. i. 11.]

The rite so administered has several names given to it in the New Testament. The most obvious is that derived from the particular ceremony which was used in administering it, as when in the Epistle to the Hebrews "the doctrine of Baptisms and of Laying on of hands" [Heb. vi. 2] is spoken of. Another title given to it is that of the Seal or the Sealing, as when St. Paul writes to the Ephesians, "After that ye believed in Christ, ye were Sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance" [Eph. i. 13, 14]: or, "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are Sealed unto the day of redemption" [Eph. iv. 30]: or again, "He Which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also Sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." [2 Cor. i. 21, 22.] There seems also to be a reference to the same ordinance in the words, "The foundation of God standeth sure, having this Seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His. And, Let every one that nameth the Name of Christ depart from iniquity." [2 Tim. ii. 19.] By all which passages, where the idea of Sealing is connected with the gift of the Holy Ghost, we are carried back to the same idea in respect to our Blessed Lord, of Whom it is said, For Him hath God the Father sealed." [John vi. 27.] As all grace flows down from the Father to the members of Christ through Christ their Head, so from Him to Whom the Father " gave not the Spirit by measure," flows down, even to the "skirts of His "mystical "clothing," that anointing Spirit of promise, whereby Christians are **sealed unto the day of redemption." The Oriental Church, which is so conservative of Scriptural terms and language, still retains the name of the "Seal of the Gift of the Holy Ghost," as that of the ordinance which the Western Church calls " Confirmation."

66

"

The rite is also called "the Unction" or Anointing" in the New Testament, and in this case also the name is clearly connected with our Lord, the Christ or Anointed One: the "holy Child Jesus, Whom Thou hast anointed" of Acts iv. 27, and of Whom St. Peter said, "how God anointed Jesus

OFFICE.

of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power." [Acts x. 38. In a passage already quoted St. Paul speaks of God having "anointed us. [2 Cor. i. 21.] St. John refers to it as a special means of illumination and union with Christ: "But the Anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you but as the same Anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him. [1 John ii. 27.] He also says of it, "Ye have an Unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things" [1 John ii. 20] and these words respecting illumination at once connect themselves with those of our Lord respecting the Holy Ghost the Comforter, "He shall teach you all things." [John xiv. 26.]

:

The familiar name by which this rite is known in the Western Church appears first in the writings of St. Ambrose: "Ye have received the spiritual seal. God the Father

hath signed you, Christ our Lord hath confirmed you, and, as ye are taught by the apostolic lection, hath given you the pledge of the Spirit in your hearts." [AMBROS. de Myst. vii. 42.] By the time of St. Gregory the name seems to have been commonly established, although it still continued to be called "signaculum" and chrisma.'

In the early Church, when Baptism was publicly administered at special seasons, and in the presence of the Bishop, the baptized were confirmed immediately on leaving the font. In his Treatise concerning Faptism, Tertullian says, "After this, having come out from the bath, we are anointed thoroughly with a blessed unction. Next to this, the

hand is laid upon us, calling upon, and inviting the Holy Spirit, through the blessing. [TERT. de Bapt. vii. viii.] St. Cyprian writes, in his famous seventieth Epistle, "Anointed also must be of necessity he who is baptized, that having received the chrism, that is, unction, he may be the anointed of God, and have within him the grace of Christ." [Ep. lxx. 3.] Again, expounding the passage in the Acts respecting the Confirmation of the Samaritans by St. Peter and St. John, he says, "Which now also is done among us, those baptized in the Church being brought to the Bishops of the Church, and by our prayer, and laying on of hands, they receive the Holy Ghost, and are perfected with the seal of the Lord." [Ep. lxxiii. 8.] Some passages in which St. Cyril speaks of the use of the chrism after Baptism will be found in the Introduction to the Baptismal Offices: he also says to those about to be baptized, "In the days of Moses, the Spirit was given by the laying on of hands, and Peter also gives the Spirit by the laying on of hands. And on thee also, who art about to be baptized, shall His grace come." [Catech. Lect. xvi. 26.]

This administration of Confirmation at the time of Baptism is provided for in the Sacramentaries of Gelasius and St. Gregory. The following is the form which has been handed down from that distant time, beginning with the Rubric which follows the Baptism:

Pontifex vero redit in sacrarium expectans, ut cum vestiti fuerunt infantes, confirmet eos. Qui etiam non prohibentur lactari ante sacram Communionem, si necesse fuerit. Induti vero, ordinantur per ordinem sicut scripti sunt. Et infantes quidem in brachiis dextris tenentur: majores vero pedem ponunt super pedem patrini sui. Deinde Schola jussa facit Letaniam quinam ad fontes, Pontifex vero veniens ad infantes, tenente Archidiacono chrisma, involutis scapulis et brachiis ex panno lineo, et levata manu sua super capita omnium dicit. Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui regenerare dignatus es. .." [As in the right-hand column in the Office beyond.]

Et interrogantibus Diaconibus nomina singulorum, Pontifex

tincto pollice in chrismate, facit crucem in fronte unius, similiter per omnes singillatim." [MENARD'S Sac. Greg. 73.]

In later days Baptism and Confirmation were separated, the latter being administered, as now, by the Bishop, in periodical visits to the greater churches; but the form of the rite has varied very little since the days of St. Gregory. Bede narrates of St. Cuthbert [A.D. 686] that he used to go round his diocese bountifully distributing counsels of salvation, "as well as laying his hands on the lately baptized, that they might receive the grace of the Holy Ghost.' [Life of St. Cuthbert, xxix.]: and from a period very little later a Pontifical has come down to us which belonged to Egbert, Archbishop of York, and which contains the form of Confirmation, as it was then used; probably the same that was used by St. Cuthbert. A translation of it is here given, as it forms a link between the primitive Office of St. Gregory and that of the Medieval Church, from which our own is directly derived.

§ The Use of York.

Circa A.D. 700.

"The Confirmation of men, to be spoken by a Bishop. How he ought to Confirm. "Almighty, everlasting God, Who hast vouchsafed to regenerate this Thy servant with water and the Holy Ghost, and Who hast given unto him remission of all his sins, pour into him, O Lord, the sevenfold Spirit, Thine holy Comforter, from heaven. Amen. Give him the Spirit of wisdom and understanding. Amen. The Spirit of counsel and strength. Amen. The Spirit of knowledge and piety. Amen. Fill him with the Spirit of the fear of God, and of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of Thy favour: sign him with the sign of Thy holy cross unto eternal life.

"Here he ought to put the chrism on the forehead of the man, and say

"Receive the sign of the holy cross, by the chrism of salvation, in Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Amen.

"The Lord be with you.

"And with thy spirit.

"The peace and blessing of the Lord be ever with thee. And with thy spirit.

Afterwards, he ought to read this prayer—

"God the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, confirm thee, that thou mayest have eternal life; and thou shalt live for ever. So thus let every man be blessed that feareth the Lord. The Lord from out of Sion bless Thee, and mayest thou see the things which are good in Jerusalem all the days of thy life. Peace be with thee unto eternal life. Amen. "Then they are to be bound [with a band of linen round the forehead].

"O God, Who gavest the Holy Ghost to Thy Apostles, and willedst Him to be given to the rest of the faithful by them and their successors, look favourably upon our humble service, and grant unto all them whose forehead we have this day anointed and confirmed with the sign of the cross, that the Holy Ghost coming upon their hearts may perfect them for a temple of His glory, by worthily inhabiting them. Through. "Then they are to be communicated of the sacrifice. "The episcopal benediction follows.

"God Almighty, Who created all things out of nothing, bless you, and grant you in baptism and in confirmation remission of all sins. Amen.

"And may He Who gave the Holy Ghost in fiery tongues to His disciples, enlighten your hearts by His own enlightening, and duly kindle them to the love of Himself. Amen.

So that, being cleansed from all vices, defended by His own assistance from all adversities, we may be worthy to be made His temple. Amen.

"May He Who created you guard you from all imminent evils, and defend you from all wickedness. Amen.

"Which He Himself. Amen. The blessing. Amen. "Another blessing at Mass, after confirmation

"Pour forth, O Lord, we pray Thee, Thy heavenly blessing upon these Thy servants, and Thine handmaids, to whom Thou hast been pleased by us to deliver Thine excellent sevenfold Holy Ghost, and to give them the grace and gifts of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

"That whosoever are born again of water and the Holy Ghost may be ever defended by Thy protection. Amen.

"May charity, diffused by the Holy Ghost, abound in them, which covers and overcomes every multitude of sins. Amen. "Protect them with divine protection, that all sins may flee from them; and may they always study to fulfil Thy commandments. Amen.

"Rest favourably in them, Who formerly rested glorious in the Apostles.

"Which He Himself. Amen. The blessing. Amen."

These specimens of Confirmation Offices of the Western Church will shew how little substantial variation there has been in them from the days of Primitive Christianity down to our own time. In the Eastern Church the rite is not restricted to the Bishop, but is administered by the priest (as his deputy, and with chrism blessed by him) immediately after Baptism, with the sign of the Cross in chrism on various parts of the body, and the words, "The Seal of the gift of the Holy Ghost. Amen." The modern Roman is almost identical with the ancient use of Salisbury.

The imposition of hands was undoubtedly the principal ceremony of Confirmation in Apostolic times, and cannot be regarded otherwise than as the essential part of the rite. Nor can it be doubted that it consisted of an actual placing of one or both of the Bishop's hands on the head of the person to be confirmed. Yet, in mediæval times (as in the modern Latin Church), consignation with chrism, and the blow on the cheek, were the only ways in which the Bishop's hand came into actual contact with the head of the candidate; and what was called imposition of hands, was an elevation of his hands in an attitude of benediction, spreading them abroad towards the persons kneeling before him. A somewhat similar custom has been adopted by modern English Bishops, who lay their hands on each child successively, and then say the words, "Defend, O Lord," etc., over the whole collectively with hands outstretched. Yet the actual laying on of hands is perfectly effected in the latter case, and it is certain that the words are not an essential part of the rite. words of the English Rubric, however, plainly direct that the words shall be uttered over each child while the hands of the Bishop rest upon him; and as the words are a precatory benediction, it does appear that the other custom may, in some degree, deprive the person who ought to be individually blessed by the Bishop of the full benefit which the blessing is intended to convey.

The

Confirmation is not, according to the strictest form of definition, a Sacrament. Our Lord did indeed ordain "the outward and visible sign" of benediction, by laying His hands on the little children who were brought to Him, and on His Apostles. But there is no distinct evidence that this laying on of hands was for the purpose of Confirmation; and as Baptism, in its fullest Christian phase, was not administered before the Day of Pentecost, it can scarcely be supposed that such was the case. Although, however, not a Sacrament in the strictest sense, Confirmation undoubtedly conveys grace, and the grace is conveyed by the outward sign. Accordingly Bishop Cosin writes, The nature of this holy Sacrament (for so we need not fear to call it in a right sense) will be more easily understood . . .” [Works, v. 142], giving it the sacred title in a subordinate sense, as an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace indeed, but not known to be certainly of Christ's Institution, nor "generally necessary for salvation.'

46

§ The Effect of Confirmation.

The outward sign of Confirmation is the same as that of Ordination, the laying on of hands by a Bishop; and this fact suggests that there is some analogy between the two rites. Confirmation is, indeed, a kind of lesser Ordination, by which the baptized person receives the gift of the Holy Ghost for the work of adult Christian life and hence it is the means of grace by which that "priesthood of the laity " is conferred, to which St. Peter refers when he writes, "Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people." [1 Pet. ii. 9.] It is also the means of grace by which the Christian, whose sins were all forgiven in Baptism, receives a further measure of strength, enabling him to stand against the temptations which assail maturer life. Thus, although Baptism is a perfect Sacrament, conveying forgiveness of sin, and giving a new nature through the union which it effects between the baptized and Christ, yet Confirmation is the complement of Baptism, in that it [1] renews and strengthens the Christian life then given, and [2] carries the baptized person on to "perfection," so that he becomes competent to take part in the highest of Christian ordinances. And thus, as grace for the work of the ministry is given by the laying

1 One of the oldest Bishops in the Church of England confirmed 12,564 persons during the summer of 1865. To say the words over each severally in such a multitude seems almost impossible.

on of hands in Ordination,-the ordained person being placed in a different relation towards God from that which he before occupied, -so by the laying on of hands in Confirmation the relation of the confirmed person towards God is also changed, and he becomes competent to undertake spiritual work, both as to duties and privileges, for which he was not previously qualified.

The value of this holy ordinance as a means of grace, and its relation to Baptism, are plainly and beautifully set forth in these words, taken from a book of Homilies written before the Reformation, and here transcribed from Fothergill's MS. Annotations on the Prayer Book, preserved in York Minster Library: "In Baptism he was born again spiritually to live. in Confirmation he is made bold to fight. There he received remission of sin, here he receiveth increase of grace. There the Spirit of God did make him a new man, here the same Spirit doth defend him in his dangerous conflict. There he was washed and made clean, here he is nourished and made strong. In Baptism he was chosen to be God's son, and an inheritor of His heavenly kingdom: in Confirmation God shall give him His Holy Spirit to be his Mentor, to instruct him and perfect him, that he lose not by his folly that inheritance which he is called unto. In Baptism he was called and chosen to be one of God's soldiers, and had his white coat of innocency delivered unto him, and also his badge, which was the red cross, the instrument of His Passion, set upon his forehead and other parts of his body in Confirmation he is encouraged to fight, and take the armour of God put upon him, which be able to bear off the fiery darts of the devil, and to defend him from all harm, if he will use them in his battle, and not put himself in danger of his enemies by entering the field without them."1

:

Such being the benefits to be derived from Confirmation, the Church has provided that it shall be administered so frequently that it may be within the reach of every one. The Sixtieth Canon enjoins that it shall be performed every third year, as follows:

CANON 60.

"Confirmation to be performed once in three Years. "Forasmuch as it hath been a solemn, ancient, and laudable custom in the Church of God, continued from the Apostles' times, that all Bishops should lay their hands upon children baptized, and instructed in the Catechism of Christian Religion, praying over them, and blessing them, which we commonly call Confirmation, and that this holy action hath been accustomed in the Church in former ages to be performed in the Bishop's visitation every third year; we will and appoint, That every Bishop or his Suffragan, in his accustomed visitation, do in his own person carefully observe the said custom. And if in that year, by reason of some infirmity, he be not able personally to visit, then he shall not omit the execution of that duty of Confirmation the next year after, as he may conveniently."

But there are few dioceses in England in which the Bishop

1 Fothergill's MSS., xi. F. 9, p. 19. The first part of this quotation seems to be from MELCHIADES, Epist. ad Hisp., in med, but Fothergill appears to have taken it from a book of English Homilies similar to the Liber Festivalis.

does not now find it necessary to hold Confirmations more frequently.2

The age at which children are to be presented to the Bishop is not explicitly ordered by the Church of England; but the Sixty-first Canon makes it necessary for the child to have arrived at an age when he can have some intelligent acquaintance with the principles of faith and duty.3

CANON 61.

"Ministers to prepare Children for Confirmation. "Every Minister, that hath cure and charge of souls, for the better accomplishing of the orders prescribed in the Book of Common Prayer concerning Confirmation, shall take especial care that none shall be presented to the Bishop for him to lay his hands upon, but such as can render an account of their faith, according to the Catechism in the said Book contained. And when the Bishop shall assign any time for the performance of that part of his duty, every such Minister shall use his best endeavour to prepare and make able, and likewise to procure as many as he can to be then brought, and by the Bishop to be confirmed."

The Rubrics at the end of the Catechism further direct that as soon as this age of intelligence has been attained, children shall be brought to the Bishop to be confirmed. A further light is thrown upon the subject by the old Rubric, out of which the present Preface to the Confirmation Office was formed. It may also be added that the 112th Canon requires all persons to become communicants before the age of sixteen years: and that with triennial confirmations this supposed many to become so at twelve or thirteen years of age. Before that age they were forbidden to communicate by one of Queen Elizabeth's Injunctions: the time for Confirmation, as intended by those who framed our present Office, appears therefore to have been from twelve to sixteen years of age, according to the developement of intelligence on the one hand, and the opportunities offered on the other for coming to the ordinance. Yet the principle of the ordinance seems to suggest that an earlier age even than twelve might often be adopted with great spiritual advantage to those who thus receive the grace of God to protect them against tempta. tion, 5

2 It is to be feared that Confirmations were very much neglected by the Bishops from the Reformation until modern times. Bishop Cosin has a note which shews that a loose practice of mediæval times prevailed even in the seventeenth century: "The place whereunto the children shall be brought for their confirmation is left to the appointment of the Bishop. If the place were ordered here to be none but the church, and there the office to be done with the Morning or Evening Prayer annexed, it would avoid the offensive liberty that herein hath been cenmenly taken, to confirm children in the streets, in the highways, and in the common fields, without any sacred solemnity [Works, v. 522] This seems to shew that the canonical periods of Confirmation were not observed, but any chance occasion taken advantage of by the people.

A similar rule was enjoined by the Council of Trent. [See Catechism of Council of Trent, chap. iii quest. 7.] The time there marked out for Confirmation is between seven and twelve years of age.

4 The Bishops' "Interpretations" give the same explanation as to age, in the same terms. [CARDW. Doc. Ann. i. 206.]

5 In further illustration of this subject it may be mentioned that the Fifth of the Five Articles of Perth [A.D. 1617] enjoined the administration of Confirmation to all children above eight years of age.