CHAPTER VI. CONFIRMATIO N. SECTION I. ANCIENT RITES OF CONFIRMATION. THE rite of confirmation (which is sometimes called a sacrament by the Fathers, though not in the same high and peculiar sense as baptism and the eucharist) was regarded as an appendix to the sacrament of baptism. Not indeed that baptism was in any way imperfect or invalid without confirmation; but that the grace which the Holy Spirit communicated at baptism, for the remission of sins and regeneration, was increased and strengthened by confirmation. In primitive times, when many persons were baptized together on the vigils of Easter, Pentecost, and Epiphany, in the presence or by the hands of the bishop, the newly baptized, after ascending from the water, were immediately confirmed by him, with a The Fathers gave the name of sacrament or mystery to every thing which conveyed one signification or property to unassisted reason, and another to faith. Hence Cyprian speaks of the "sacraments" of the Lord's Prayer, meaning the hidden meaning conveyed therein, which could only be appreciated by a Christian. The Fathers sometimes speak of ; confirmation as a sacrament, imposition of hands and prayer for the Holy Ghost. In after-ages, when baptisms were administered in many other churches besides the cathedral, and the presbyters and deacons received a commission from their bishops to administer this sacrament, it became necessary either to disjoin confirmation from baptism, or to give presbyters a commission to perform both. The former course has been followed by the western churches of England, &c. where confirmation is always administered by the bishop, and generally several years after baptism; and the latter has been adopted by the patriarchate of Constantinople and all the eastern churches, in which presbyters have, from time immemorial, been permitted to confirm ; and in those churches confirmation is always administered to infants immediately after baptism. To the apostolical rites of prayer and imposition of hands, the church added that of anointing with an unguent or chrism, made of oil and balsam, and hallowed by the prayers of the bishop. It is difficult, if not impossible, to state the period at which the use of chrism was introduced into the church; but we learn from the writings of Tertullian and Origen, that it was already customary both in the east and west at the end of the second or beginning of the third century. This chrism was intended to signify the grace of the Holy Spirit then conferred. Notwithstanding the antiquity of chrism in the church, yet the imposition of hands is still more b Tertull. de Baptismo, c. 7. "Exinde egressi de lavacro perungimur benedicta unctione" c. 8. "dehinc manus imponitur, per benedictionem advocans et invitans Spiritum Sanctum." Origen. Hom. ix. in Levit. 14-14 primitive. By this rite, accompanied with prayer, Acts In all the rituals of the Christian church, and in those of the Monophysites and Nestorians, who have in some respect separated from the apostolic doctrines, we find prayers at confirmation, in which the bishop or his representative invokes the grace of the Holy Spirit on those who are to be confirmed: and in almost all we find this prayer preceded or followed by an imposition of hands. The ancient Roman order, according to the sacramentary of Gelasius, and the ordo Romanus, and many other monuments, directed the bishop to give the imposition of hands to all the candidates at the same time, whilst he invoked the manifold gifts of the Holy Ghost for them. In the church of Alexandria a similar invocation was followed by an imposition of hands and a benediction. The Nestorians, who separated from the catholic church about A. D. 431, still retain the imposition of hands on each individual, followed by a benediction and prayer. The churches c Sirmond, a learned Jesuit, admits the imposition of hands to be the peculiar rite of confirmation, to which the church added chrism. See his sentiments at p. 341. 352, of the Anæreticus Petri Aurelii, Paris, 1633. Habertus and Estius agree with him. See Bingham's Antiq. book xii. c. 3, $ 2. d Sacramentar. Gelasii, Muratori, tom. i. p. 571. "Deinde ab episcopo datur eis Spiritus e Rituale Copt. Alexandrin. of Constantinople, of Armenia, and of Antioch and Jerusalem, all desire prayer to be made for the Holy Spirit, but they do not seem directly to notice the imposition of hands. However, we know that originally it was used in the east by the testimony of the Apostolical Constitutions. Nor may we justly say that these churches are devoid of a valid confirmation, because they retain the prayer for the Holy Spirit and if we do not reckon the imposition of hands in the anointing to be the original form, it may yet suffice; since we have no reason to judge that the ancient form was omitted from any wrong motive. It should be noticed, that the imposition of hands seems not to have been given to each individual in the ancient Roman ritual", though in the patriarchate of Alexandria, and in Chaldea, such a form appears to have prevailed. And although the church of England has directed the bishop to lay his hand on the head of each individual with a benediction, yet the ancient rite of the Roman church, when the bishop lifted up his hands over all the f Goar, Rit. Græc. p. 355. Ordo Confirm. Armen. Assemani Codex, tom. iii. p. 118. Rit. Syror. ib. p. 149. 155. 8 Ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τούτοις ἀκόλουθα λεγέτω. ἑκάστου γὰρ ἡ δύναμις τῆς χειροθεσίας ἐστὶν aurn. Apost. Const. lib. vii. c. 44, p. 381, ed. Clerici. h This appears from the ancient Ordo Romanus, where, as it is cited in noted, the bishop is first said to invoke the grace of the Holy Spirit on the children," elevatâ et impositâ manu super capita omnium:” and then, the prayer being 66 ended, and the deacons asking the name of each of the children, Pontifex tincto pollice in chrismate, faciat crucem in frontibus singulorum ita dicendo,” &c. p. 83. This form coincides with that appointed by the Roman Pontificale de Confirmandis, except that the rubric does not distinctly recog nise it as an imposition of hands. "Tunc extensis versus confirmandos manibus," is somewhat different from "elevatâ et impositâ manu super capita omnium." 1 See note, p. 203. candidates at the same time, and blessed them, ought not to be blamed, or considered invalid. SECTION II. CONFIRMATION OFFICE. The office of confirmation begins with a preface or address, in which the bishop, or some person appointed by him, reminds the candidates for confirmation of the promises made by their sureties, which they must now themselves renew. This preface, and the following question of the bishop, in which he inquires whether the candidates for confirmation renew the solemn promises and vows made for them at baptism, are probably peculiar to the English office of confirmation; but it would be difficult to find any fault in them; and as we know that the office of baptism in the primitive Gallican church commenced with a preface or address, and there were always questions and vows made in that office, it seems very consistent with ancient customs to place an address and question in the cognate office of confirmation. After the reply of the candidates in the affirmative, the office proceeds with some versicles and responses, which in ancient times formed the beginning of the office in the English church of Salisbury. |