THE LIBRARY OF THE 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 THE COLLECTION OF 
 NORTH CAROLINIANA 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 Mrs. Sprague Silver 
 
 Cp378 
 SII4NI 
 
HINTS. 1 
 
 RITE OF CONFIRMATIOJ^, 
 
 ADDRESSED TO THE PUPILS 
 
 St. Mary's School. 
 
 RALEIGH, N. C. 
 1 869. 
 
HIlsTTS 
 
 ON THE 
 
 SITE OF comm 
 
 TO THE PUPILS OF 
 
 St. Scijooi, 
 
 RALEIGH, N. C. 
 1869. 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2014 
 
 https://archive.org/details/hintsonriteofconOOsmed 
 
HINTS 
 
 ON 
 
 THE RITE OF CONFIRMATION, 
 
 Passages of Scriptuee relating to 
 Confirmation, which must be care- 
 fully STUDIED, AND OUGHT TO BE COM- 
 MITTED TO MEMORY. 
 
 Acts vizi: 5, 6, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17. 
 
 " Then Philip went down to the city of 
 Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. 
 
 And the people with one accord gave 
 heed unto those things which Philip 
 spake, hearing and seeing the miracles 
 which he did. 
 
 But when they believed Philip preach- 
 ing the things concerning the kingdom 
 of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, 
 they were baptized, both men and wo-. 
 men. 
 
 s 
 
4 
 
 Now when the Apostles which were 
 at Jerusalem, heard that Samaria had 
 received the word of God, they sent unto 
 them Peter and John. 
 
 Who wlien they were come down, 
 prayed for them that they might receive 
 the Holy Ghost. 
 
 For as yet he was fallen upon none of 
 them : only they were baptized in the 
 name of the Lord Jesus. 
 
 Then they laid their hands on them, 
 and they received the Holy Ghost." 
 
 Acts XIX : 1 — 7. 
 
 "And it came to pass, that while Apol- 
 los was at Corinth, Paul having passed 
 through the upper coasts, came to Epli- 
 esus, and finding certain disciples. He 
 said unto them. Have ye received the 
 Holy Ghost since ye believed? And 
 they said unto him. We have not so much 
 as heard whether there be any Holy 
 Ghost, 
 
 Aiid he said unto them, Unto what 
 
5 
 
 then were ye baptized ? And they said, 
 Unto J ohn's Baptism. 
 
 Then said Paul, John verily baptized 
 with the baptism of repentance, saying 
 unto the people, that they should believe 
 on him which should come after him, that 
 is, on Christ Jesus. 
 
 When they heard this, they were bap- 
 tized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 
 
 And when Paul had laid his hands up- 
 on them, the Holy Ghost came on them, 
 and they spake with tongues, and proph- 
 esied. 
 
 And all the men were about twelve." 
 Hebrews m: 1, 2. 
 
 "Therefore leaving the principles of the 
 doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto per- 
 fection, not laying again the foundation 
 of repentance from dead works, and of 
 faith towards God of the doctrine of bap- 
 tisms, and of laying on of hands, and of 
 resurrection of the dead, and of eternal 
 judgement." 
 
 From the fir^t of these passages we 
 
6 
 
 learn that Philip the Deacon, was the in- 
 strument by his miracles and preaching 
 of converting the Samaritans, and that 
 he baptized them ; but that Peter and 
 John, two of the apostles, went from Jeru- 
 salem to Samaria to lay their hands on 
 them. 
 
 The order ofrelio-ious exercises among: 
 the Samaritan converts^ was the follow- 
 ing : Repentance, Faith, Baptism, under 
 the ministrations of Philip, and the lay- 
 ing on of Hands, or their confirmation, by 
 the apostles. 
 
 Thus the passage teaches us the quali- 
 fications for confirmation, the obligation 
 of it, and the officer, by whom it is ad- 
 ministered. The qualifications are re- 
 pentance whereby we truly sorrow for 
 our sins, and really forsake them ; Faith 
 whereby we steadfastly receive all the 
 doctrines, precepts, and promises of the 
 Gospel as the word of God, which alone 
 is able to save our souls ; and Baptism, 
 whereby in our infancy, or by our own 
 
7 
 
 mature choice, we have become the 
 members of Christ, the children of God, 
 and the inheritors of the kingdom of 
 Heaven. 
 
 The obligation to receive confirmation, 
 or the laying on of Hands, is manifest 
 from the fact that, like baptism, it was 
 received by all the Samaritan converts. 
 
 The officers to administer it, are evi- 
 dently the Apostles, or, as their successors 
 are now called, the Bishops of the Church. 
 
 Philip the Deacon could preach and 
 baptise; but he could not' confirm. The 
 Apostles Peter and John, went down to 
 Samaria, and laid their hands on the con- 
 verts. 
 
 From the passage in the 19th chapter of 
 the Acts, we learn the same truths. The 
 disciples mentioned in it had received the 
 baptism of repentance from John. They . 
 were baptized by St. Paul in the name of 
 the Lord Jesus, of course after a profes- 
 sion of faith in Him. 
 
 They had, therefore, Repentance, 
 
8 
 
 Faith and Baptism. Then Paul laid his 
 hands on them, or as we should say, con- 
 firmed them. Here are precisely the 
 same exercises and in the same order, 
 Repentance, Faith, Baptism, the laying 
 on of Hands. 
 
 But says an objector, did not miracu- 
 lous gifts accompany this laying on of 
 Hands, and was not the rite of a tem- 
 porary nature, designed to cease, when 
 these miraculous gifts were no longer 
 conferred ? 
 
 To this objection we reply in the words 
 of the 1st, and 2nd verses of the 6th 
 chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews. 
 "Therefore leaving the principles of the 
 doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto per- 
 fection ; not laying again the foundation 
 of repentance from dead -works, and of 
 faith toward God, of the doctrine of bap- 
 tisms, and of laying on of hands, and of 
 resuiTection of the dead, and of eternal 
 judgment." Here we have Repentance, 
 Faith, Baptism, and the Laying on of 
 
9 
 
 Hands, reckoned among the principles of 
 the doctrine of Christ, in connection 
 with Resurrection of the dead and Eter- 
 nal Judgment. 
 
 Does not the order in which the lay- 
 ing on of Hands is here mentioned show 
 unmistakeably that it is the same, of 
 which we have instances in the case of 
 the Samaritan and Ephesian converts ? 
 If so, is it not a principle of the Doctrine 
 of Christ, and therefore of permanent 
 and universal obligation' in his Church ? 
 
 To these questions the voice of the 
 universal Church has always answered in 
 the affirmative, and by it the apostolic 
 rite of confirmation has been handed 
 down to us, tracing its origin and its 
 authority to these passages of Holy 
 Writ. 
 
 Going back during a period of little 
 more than 300 years, we find the " laying 
 on of Hands" prevailing every where 
 among Christians whose ministry sup- 
 plied the Officer, alone competent to this 
 
10 
 
 function; while during the 1500 years 
 which preceded that period, from the 
 days of the Apostles down, it was uni- 
 versal in the church. 
 
 We think then it is clearly established 
 that the " laying on of hands" after re- 
 pentance, faith, and baptism, is an ordi- 
 nance of the gospel, obligatory upon all 
 the followers of Christ. 
 
 Being an outward, visible, and im- 
 pressive sign of allegiance, it is the meth- 
 od in which the children of the Church 
 declare their renunciation of the world, 
 and their determination by God's help to 
 lead a sober, righteous and Godly life. 
 
 The circumstances of the Church in 
 these latter days, make it pecuuliarly in- 
 teresting and valuable in this connection. 
 The children of most Christian parents 
 are admitted to baptism in their infancy. 
 It is the theory, the wish, the prayer, the 
 expectation of the Churh, that being thus 
 made the members of Christ, the children 
 of God, and the inheritors of the King- 
 
11 
 
 dom of Heaven, they should be trained 
 up by their parents and sponsors " in the 
 nurture and adomonition of the Lord," 
 and made to lead the rest of their life, 
 according to this beginning," so that 
 when arrived at an age to " refuse the 
 evil and choose the good," they should be 
 prepared and disposed to assume for 
 themselves in the " laying on of Hands," 
 the vows and promises of their baptism, 
 and thus secure a right to eat the child- 
 ren's bread, and drink of their cup, at 
 the table of their Lord. But alas, owing 
 in part to the failure of their spiritual 
 guardians, and in part to the ungodliness 
 of the world around them, too general- 
 ly, their baptismal robes are soiled with 
 the pollution of wilful and grievous sins ; 
 while often, they wander far away from 
 their " father's house," and retain scarce 
 a single trace of their adoption into his 
 family. Immersed in the pursuits and 
 pleasures of this world, exclusively, they 
 are not to be distinguished from its most 
 
12 
 
 devoted followers. At length, however, 
 a voice reaches them in their estrange- 
 ment, reminding them of their forfeited 
 privileges and neglected duties; and call- 
 ing upon them, " Come out from among 
 them, and be ye separate, and touch not 
 the unclean thing ; and I will receive you, 
 and will be a father unto you, and ye 
 shall be my sons and daughters, saith 
 the Lord Almighty." Then in the tones 
 of the blessed Saviour they hear, "whoso- 
 ever, shall confess me before men, him 
 will I also confess before my Father 
 which is in Heaven." Pricked to the 
 heart with a sense of their departure from 
 the ways of God, truly sorry for their 
 folly and wickedness, sincerely turning 
 to a sober, righteous, and Godly life, and 
 heartily believing the gracious promises 
 which lure their return, how adapted to 
 their wants, how beautiful in their eyes, 
 how welcome to their hearts and how 
 appropriate, impressive, solemn, and af- 
 fecting in the sight of all, must seem that 
 
1^ 
 
 simple rite, by means of which they are 
 enabled to come out from the world, to 
 separate themselves from the ungodly, 
 to join the ranks of Christ's disciples, 
 and thus to confess him before angels 
 and before men, while in the " lay- 
 ing on of Hands," by God's chief min- 
 ister upon earth, they receive the assu- 
 rance of a welcome back to their father's 
 house, and a foretaste of the grace, 
 through which they are hereafter "to 
 fight the good fight of faith, and lay hold 
 on eternal' life, whereunto they are call- 
 ed," and, in this holy rite, "have professed 
 a good profession before many witnes- 
 ses." 
 
 What wonder, that in view of its 
 scriptural authority, and its intrinsic 
 beauty and utility, our Church has shown 
 her sense of its necessity by ordering that 
 none shall be admitted to the Holy com- 
 munion, until such time, as he be con- 
 firmed, or be ready and desirous to be 
 confirnaed. 
 
14 
 
 Bo you then, my dear child, feel yoitr^ 
 self to be a sinner, exposed to the wrath 
 or God, and utterly without resource of 
 hope, except in his boundless mercy 
 through Jesus Christ ? Do you repent 
 of your sins being truly sorry for them, 
 and heartily striving to forake them, 
 and to turn unto the Lord your God ? 
 Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the 
 Son of God ; that He is the Lamb of God 
 that taketh away the sins of the world ; 
 that He so loved you as to die upon the 
 cross for you ; that He has bought you by 
 his own precious blood ; that His is the 
 only name given under Heaven whereby 
 you can be saved ? Do you desire to 
 glorify Him in your body, and your 
 spirit, which are his ; to come out from 
 the world, and confess Him before men, 
 as your Lord and your God ; to present 
 yourself to Him a living sacrifice, holy, 
 and acceptable in His sight, as is your 
 reasonable service ; for his sake to deny 
 ungodliness and worldly, lusts, and to 
 
15 
 
 live soberly, righteously, and Godly ia 
 this present world, looking for that bless- 
 ed hope and the glorious appearing of 
 the great God, and our Saviour Jesus 
 Christ, who gave himself for us, that He 
 might redeem us from all iniquity and 
 purify unto himself a peculiar people 
 zealous of good works? Oh do these 
 questions touch your heart, and does it 
 respond. Lord, " I abhor myself, and re- 
 pent in dust and ashes" ; " Lord, I be- 
 lieve, help thou mine unbelief"; Lord, by 
 the aid of thy Holy Spirit, I will take 
 up my " cross, and follow thee," striving 
 "to keep the commandments of my God"; 
 then, I may say to you, now is the accept- 
 ed time for your confirmation in these 
 good desires and purposes. Now you are 
 meet to receive that grace of the Holy 
 Spirit, which is imparted in the laying 
 on of Hands. Now you are prepared, in 
 humility, but in faith, and hope, and love, 
 to approach that table w^hich a Saviour's 
 i love has spread, to which confirmation, 
 
16 
 
 is a title and a welcome, and at which, 
 you will receive such supplies of grace, 
 in your times of need, as shall nourish 
 your soul unto everlasting life. 
 
 PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE. 
 
 To he devoutly pondered by the Candi- 
 date for Confirmation, 
 
 Repentance, — Ps. li. Joel ii: 12, 13, 
 Daniel 12: 3-10. Mat. iii: 1-12. Luke 
 xiii: 1-3. Acts iii: 19-21. Rom. ii: 4. 
 2 Cor. vii : 9-11. Luke xxii : 62. Luke xv. 
 
 Faith— ^i^, xi. Mark ix : 24. Matt, 
 XV : 22-28. John lii : 14-21, also 36. Acts 
 xiii: 38, 39. Rom. iii: 19-28. Rom. v : 1. 
 Gal. iii: 16-20. James ii: 20-23. 
 
 Baptism, — Mark xvi : 16. Matt 
 xxviii: 19. John iii : 1-7. Acts ii : 37- 
 39, Acts ix: 18, Acts xxii: 12-16. 
 Acts xvi: 25-34. Rom. vi : 3-13. Gal. 
 iii: 26, 27. 1 Cor. xii: 12-13, 27. Eph. 
 V : 25-26. 1 Pet. iii 21, 22. Tit. iii: 5, 6, 
 
 Obedience. — Ps i. Ps xv. Ps xix: 
 7-11. 1 Sam. XV : 22. Matt, vii: 21. 
 John viii: 31, 32. John vii: 16, 17. 
 
17 
 
 John xiv: 15. John xv : 8-14. John 
 xiii: 34, 35. Rom. xii. 1 Cor. xiii. 
 Eph. vi: 10-18. 2 Cor. v: 13, 14, 15, 
 17. Phil, iii : 7-21. Col. iii. 2 Pet. 1 : 
 5-11. 
 
 Warning.— ProY, 1 : 22-33. Matt, 
 xi: 26. Luke xii : 20. Matt, xiii 41, 42. 
 Matt. XXV : 31-33, also 41-46. Mark 
 ix : 43-48. 2 Thess. i : 6-10. 2 Pet iii : 
 3-14. 
 
 Micoiiragement. — ^Matt. xviii : 2-5. 
 Mark X : 13-16. Luke v : 30-32. Luke 
 vii: 44-54. Luke xv. Ps ciii. Ps cxlv. 
 Isaiah i: 18. Is. Iv : 1-3. John iii : 16. 
 •Rom. V : 8. Rom viii : 32. 1 John iv : 
 7-11. Matt, xi: 28-30. Rev xxii: 17, 
 Rev. vii: 9-17. 
 
 Blessed Lord who hast caused all holy- 
 scriptures to be written for our learning, 
 grant that we may in such wise hear 
 them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly di- 
 gest them, that by patience, and com- 
 fort of the holy Word, we may embrace, 
 and ever hold fast the blessed hope of 
 
18 
 
 everlasting life, which thou hast given 
 us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. A?nen. 
 
 Brief heads of self examination for 
 the candidate. 
 
 1. Do I feel that I am a sinner in the 
 sight of God : that in thought, word, and 
 deed, I daily offend his divine majesty 
 most justly provoking his wrath and in- 
 dignation against me ? 
 
 2. Do I realize the horrid nature of sin, 
 as a tmnsgression of the holy law of God: 
 as the introducer of death into the world 
 and all our woe, as the cause of the pres- 
 ent misery and eternal ruin of the souls 
 of men ; and, above all, as requiring for 
 its forgiveness the agony and bloody 
 sweat, the cross and passion, the death 
 and sacrifice of the divine Redeemer ? 
 
 3. Do I feel my guilt as a sinner, know- 
 ing that I have wilfully strayed from the 
 ways of God like a lost sheep ; that I 
 have yielded myself to the seductions of 
 the world the flesh and the Devil ; that I 
 have resisted the convictions of con- 
 
19 
 
 science, the admonitions of friends the 
 pleadings of the sanctuary, and delibe- 
 rately preferred the broad and downward 
 road that leads to ruin and despair ? 
 
 4. Do I realize that, as a member of 
 Christ, I have been a spot and blemish 
 upon His sacred body the Church, which 
 He has purchased with His precious 
 blood ; that as a child of God, I have wan- 
 dered from my Father's house and made 
 myself unworthy even to be called His 
 servant ; that as an inheritor of the king- 
 dom of heaven, I have been thankless, and 
 careless of my eternal portion, preferring 
 the pleasures of sin, to the joys that are 
 at God's right hand forever ? 
 
 5. Do I truly repent of my folly and 
 guilt ; am I deeply sorry that I have dis- 
 obeyed my Father and my God ; that I 
 have wounded my Redeemer, who was 
 wounded for my transgressions; that I 
 have grieved the Holy Spirit who is my 
 sanctifier ? 
 
 6. Do I forsake the sins which I pro- 
 
20 
 
 fess to mourn ; do I cease to do evil ; do 
 I hate lying, deceit, and every false way ; 
 do I endeavor to subdue the love of the 
 world, the lusts of the flesh, and the 
 pride of life ; envy, malice, hatred, un- 
 charitableness, and all the evil desires 
 and passions which war against God and 
 against my soul ? 
 
 7. Do I learn to do well ; do I perform 
 as faithfully as I can what I know to be 
 my duties in that state of life to which I 
 am called ; am I obedient to those in au- 
 thority over me, not with eye service, as 
 men pleasers, but in singleness of heart, 
 fearing God ; am I considerate, gentle, 
 and kind towards my equals ; am I just, 
 forbearing, and benevolent towards my 
 inferiors ; do I redeem the time, making 
 the best use I can of the talents and op- 
 portunities entrusted to me, knowing to 
 whom I must give an account of my 
 stewardship ; do I take pleasure in of- 
 fices of love, as far as they are in my 
 power ; do I give the cup of cold water 
 
21 
 
 • in the name of a disciple ; do I make any 
 sacrifice of self that I may do good unto 
 others, and especially to them of the 
 household of faith ; do I endeavor so to 
 let my light shine before men, that they 
 seeing my good works may glorify my 
 Father which is in Heaven ? 
 
 1^ 8. Do I set God always before me ; do 
 I realise that he searches and knows 
 me, that He knoweth my down-sitting 
 and up-rising, and understandeth my 
 thoughts afar off; that He compasseth 
 my path and my lying down, and is ac- 
 quainted with all my ways ; that there 
 is not a word in my tongue but He know- 
 eth it altogether ? Can I say, I desire 
 to do thy will, O my God, — my meat is 
 to do the will of my Father in Heaven ? 
 Do I feel my dependence upon Him for 
 life, and health, and all earthly good 
 things, and for the gracious supplies of 
 
 * that Holy Spirit, which He has promised 
 to give to all who ask Him ? Do I seek 
 these supplies in regular, daily, and ear- 
 
22 
 
 nest prayer ; in the closet do I bow my 
 knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, that He would grant me accord- 
 ing to the riches of His glory to be 
 strengthened with might by His Spirit 
 in the inner man ; in the sanctuary, do I 
 strive to control my thoughts, and to 
 join in its prayers and praises, and in all 
 its services, with the spirit and with the 
 understanding ; can I say, how amiable 
 are thy tabernacles, O LORD of Hosts, 
 my soul hath a delight in them, — for a 
 day in thy courts is better than a thou- 
 sand ; I had rather be a door keeper in 
 the house of my God, than to dwell in 
 the tents of wickedness ? 
 
 9. What are my feelings toward the 
 word of God ? Do I realize that it is in 
 truth the word of God, which is able to 
 save my soul ? — Do I see in it the wis- 
 dom which is from above ? Is it to me 
 the sword of the spirit, quick and power- 
 ful, and sharper than any two edged 
 sword, piercing even to the dividing a- 
 
23 
 
 sunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints 
 and marrow, and a discerner of the 
 thoughts and intents of my heart ? Has 
 it slain in me my enmity to God and 
 holiness ? Can I say the entrance of 
 thy word giveth light, it giveth under- 
 standing to the simple ; thy word have 
 I hid in my heart that I might not sin 
 against thee ; thy word is a lamp unto 
 my feet, and a light unto my path : Oh ! 
 how I love thy law — it is my medita- 
 tion, all the day ; the law of thy mouth 
 is better unto me than thousands of gold 
 and silver ; how sweet are thy words un- 
 to my taste, yea, sweeter than honey 
 unto my mouth ; through thy precepts I 
 get understanding, therefore I hate every 
 false way ! 
 
 10, Do I feel that my best works fall 
 infinitely short of the glory of God ? 
 Do I realize when I have done all that I 
 can, I am an unprofitable servant ? Do 
 I know that my holiest actions are stain- 
 ed with sin, and need the cleansing of a 
 
"24 
 
 Saviour's blood ? Am I compelled from 
 a conviction of my own utter weakness 
 and unworthiness, to exclaim with the 
 Apostle, O, w^retched being that I am, 
 who shall deliver me from the body of 
 this death ? Can I say with him, I thank 
 my God, through Jesus Christ my Lord ? 
 Do I look unto Jesus, the author and 
 finisher of my faith, as my only hope ? 
 Is He the LORD my righteousness, the 
 propitiation for my sins through faith in 
 his blood, the Lamb of God which tak- 
 eth away my sins ? Do I believe in the 
 Lord Jesus Christ ? Do I put my whole 
 trust in Him, knowing that his is the on- 
 ly name given under heaven, whereby I 
 can be saved ? Do I love him who first 
 loved me ? Do I make any sacrifice of 
 self for Him ? Does the love of Christ 
 constrain me ? Am I willing, ani I ready 
 to come out from the world, to confess 
 Him before men, to dedicate to him my 
 life and my all? Yea, do I count all 
 things but loss for the excellency of the 
 
25 
 
 knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord ; and 
 count them but dung that I may win 
 Christ and be found in him, not having 
 mine own righteousness, which is of the 
 law, but that which is through the faith 
 of Christ, even the righteousness which 
 is of God by faith, that I may know him, 
 and the power of this resurrection, and 
 the fellowship of his sufferings, being 
 made conformable unto his death, if by 
 any means, I might attain unto the resur- 
 rection of the dead. 
 
 Oh my soul, can'st thou find in thine 
 own experience any response to these 
 glowing words ? Then "why art thou so 
 cast down, why art thou so disquieted 
 within me? Hope thou in God for I 
 shall yet praise Him, who is the health 
 of my countenance, and my God !" 
 
 PRAYERS. 
 
 To he used with the other demotions of a 
 Candidate. 
 O God, my Heavenly Father, be mer- 
 ciful to me a sinner. I acknowledge my 
 
26 
 
 transgressions, and my sin is ever before 
 me. Oh, wash me thoroughly from my 
 wickedness, and cleanse me from my sins. 
 Give me to see, my God, how earthly, 
 and sensual and vile I am ; how by 
 thought, word, and deed I daily offend 
 against thy divine majesty, provoking 
 most justly thy wrath and indignation 
 against me. Make me to be truly sorry 
 for these my misdoings : niake me ear- 
 nestly to repent of them. O, make the 
 remembrance of them grievous unto me, 
 the burden of them intolerable. Have 
 mercy upon me, have mercy upon me, 
 most merciful Father ! For thy Son our 
 Lord Jesus Christ's sake, forgive me all 
 that is past, and grant that I may ever 
 hereafter serve and please thee in new- 
 ness of life, to the honor and glory of thy 
 name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 Amen. 
 
 Turn thou me, O good Lord, and so 
 shall I be turned. Hide thy face from 
 my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 
 
27 
 
 Create in me a clean heart O God, and 
 renew a right spirit within me. Cast me 
 not away from thy presence, and take not 
 thy Holy Spirit from me. O my Heav- 
 enly Father, I beseech of thee thy Holy 
 Spirit, which thou hast promised to give 
 to all who ask thee. I plead thine own 
 promise. May I ask in sincerity, with a 
 deep sense of my need ; in faith, with a 
 hmnble reliance on my Saviour ; may I 
 ask so as to receive. Pour into my heart, 
 ,0 Lord, the abundance of thy grace. 
 Strengthen me with might by thy Spirit 
 in the inner man. Deal bountifully with 
 thy servant, O Lord, according to thy 
 word. Open thou mine eyes that I may 
 behold wondrous things out of thy law. 
 O make my heart to rejoice in thy stat- 
 utes, and make me feel that they are 
 more to be desired than gold, yea than 
 much fine gold, sweeter than honey and 
 the honey comb. Make me to walk, O 
 Lordj in the path of thy commandments^ 
 
28 
 
 and to experience that in keeping them 
 there is great reward. 
 
 May thy blessed spirit teach me to 
 know and love thee the only true God, 
 and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent ; 
 and my Heavenly Father, may this time 
 be to me a season of refreshing from thy 
 presence. May I be enabled to obey the 
 call which is now addressed to me. May 
 I come out from the world, and confess 
 my Saviour before men. Make me to 
 believe on Him in my heart unto right- 
 eousness, and to confess him with my 
 mouth, unto salvation. May I truly re- 
 nounce for his sake, the Devil and his 
 works, the pomps and vanities of this 
 wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of 
 the flesh. May I sincerely promise, by 
 thy help, to keep the commandments of 
 my God. O may I dedicate myself to 
 thee, my Father, my Redeemer, my 
 Sanctifier, looking unto Jesus as my 
 Saviour and my Hope, and trusting for 
 acceptance, only to His cross, Amen, 
 
29 
 
 CONFIRMATION. 
 
 They are taking the baptismal vow, 
 
 Upon their conscious selves ; their own lips s^Dcak 
 
 The solemn promise. Strongest sinews fail, 
 
 And many a blooming, many a lovely cheek 
 
 Under the holy fear of God turns pale, 
 
 While on each head his lawn -robed Servant lays 
 
 An apostolic hand, and with prayer seals 
 
 1 he Covenant. The Omnipotent will raise 
 
 Their feeble souls. 
 
 I saw a mother's eye intently bent 
 
 Upon a maiden trembling as she knelt ; 
 
 In and for whom the pious Mother felt 
 
 Things we may judge of by a light too faint; 
 
 Tell, if ye may, some star-crowned Muse or Saint ! 
 
 Tell what rushed in, from what she was relieved — 
 
 Then when her child the hallowing touch received, 
 
 And such vibration to the Mother went 
 
 That tears burst forth amain. Did gleams appear? 
 
 Opened a vision of that blissful place 
 
 Where dwells a sister-child ? And was powergiven 
 
 Part of her lost One's glory back to trace 
 
 Even to this Rite ? For thus she knelt, and, ere 
 
 The Summer-leaf had faded, passed to Heaven. 
 
 Wordsworth. 
 
 A PRAYER IMMEDIATELY BEFORE CON- 
 FIRMATION". 
 
 O Godj the Father of Heaven^ look in 
 
30 
 
 mercy and forgiveness on thy child who 
 desires to return to thee ! 
 
 O God, the Son, Redeemer of the 
 world, wash me wholly from my sins in 
 thine own precious blood. 
 
 O God, the Holy Ghost, sanctifier of 
 the faithful, take up thine abode in my 
 heart, and make me a holy Temple to the 
 Lord. 
 
 O Holy, Blessed, and Glorious Trinity, 
 accept the offering of myself which I 
 make in soul and body, in heart and life, 
 to thy service, now, and forever. Am em 
 
 O, happy da}^ that stays my choice 
 On thee my Saviour and my Ood, 
 
 Well may this glowing heart rejoice 
 And tell thy goodness all abroad. 
 
 O happy bond that seals my vows, 
 
 To Him who merits all my love, 
 Let cheerful anthems fill his house 
 
 While to his sacred throne I move. 
 
 'Tis done, the great transaction's done, 
 Deign gracious Lord to make me thine, 
 
 Help me through grace to follow on, 
 Qlad to Qorifess thy voicQ divine. 
 
Bl 
 
 Here rest my oft divided heart 
 Fixed on thy God, thy Saviour rest, 
 
 Who with the world would grieve to part. 
 When called on Angel's food to feast. 
 
 High Heaven that heard the solemn vow, 
 That vow renewed shall daily hear 
 
 'Till in life's latest hour I how 
 And bless in death a bond so dear. 
 
 A MEDITATION AFTER CONFIRM ATI 0:N". 
 
 O my Redeemer, Captain of my salva- 
 tion, I am now enlisted by my own act 
 under thy sacred banner. O Thou, who 
 didst triumph for me upon the cross, with 
 garments stained with thine own blood, 
 enable me to take up my cross and fol- 
 low thee ; enable me to have victory, 
 and to triumph over sin, the world, and 
 the Devil, and to continue thy faithful 
 soldier and servant unto my life's end. 
 
 Entitled now to every privilege of the 
 gospel, may I seek at the table which 
 thy love has spread, the food that shall 
 nourish my soul unto everlasting life. 
 O thou Bread of life, let me eat of thee, 
 and live forever. O thou fountain of 
 
32 
 
 Salvation, let me drink of thee, and be 
 filled with joy and peace in believing. 
 
 My God and is thy table spread, 
 And does thy cup with love overflow ? 
 
 Thither be all thy children led, 
 And let them thy sweet mercies know. 
 
 Hail ! sacred feast, which Jesus makes, 
 Kich banquet of his flesh and blood : 
 
 Thrice happy he who here partakes 
 That sacred stream, that heavenly food. 
 
 Why are its bounties all in vain 
 Before unwilling hearts displayed ? 
 
 Was not for you the victim slain ? 
 Are you forbid the children's bread ? 
 
 O let thy table honoured be, 
 And furnish'd well with joyful guests : 
 
 And may each soul salvation see. 
 That here its holy pledges tastes. 
 
 Drawn by thy quickening grace, O Lord. 
 
 In countless numbers let them come ; 
 And gather from their Father's board, 
 
 The bread that lives beyond the tomb. 
 
 Nor let thy spreading Gospel rest, 
 Till through the world thy truth has run ; 
 
 Till with this bread all men be blest, 
 Who see the light or feel the sun.