IS AN HUMBLE ATTEMPT, RC. ration, if you never pray for them, nor teach them to pray for themselves, that Godwould renew their hearts by his Spirit, that he would work this glorious and divine change in them, that he would really translate them out of the family of Satan, and make them his sons and his daughters? What ! do you take care to let them know that the outward washingof baptism does not, cannot make them really the children of God, members of Christ, and heirs of the kingdom of heaven, and yet have you no soli- citude, nor take pains to spew them, how they may become the children of God and inheritors of his kingdom ? Do you let them grow up from the day of their baptism, wherein the figure and emblem of renewing grace past upon them, until they are be- come men and women, without ever instructing and exciting them, to seek after the substance of this heavenly blessing? Fa- thers, mothers, elder kindred, do you never concern yourselves that your children shouldobtain this divine favour, and give good evidence of the work of the renewing Spirit of God in them, by a holy behaviour and a heavenly conversatien ? It is but a poor pretence for separating from the established church, that you or your children are in danger of being led into mistaken opinions there, if you are not deeply solicitous, that both they and you mad avoid the mischief as well as the error, and that you prac- tice as well as learn the truth. But leaving this mistake about baptism, there is another thing also, wherein you protestant dissenters, are free from the danger of taking upwith outward forms instead of spiritual bles- sings, and that is theceremony of confirmation*. You have no such rite performed among you, as the solemn imposition of the hand of the bishop on your head, to become a token or sign of the favour of God toward you, as is found in the offices of the established church. See the office of confirmation in the coin- mon prayer. So soon as children are come to a competent age, and can say in their mother tongue their creed, and Lord's-pray- er, and the ten commandments, and also can answer to other ques- tions of this short catechism, they shall be brought to the bishop. And everyone shall have agodfather or a godmother di a witness of their confirmation. Then the first prayer begins, Almighty and ever-living God, who hast vouchsafed to regenerate these thy servants by water and the Holy Ghost, and hast given unto them forgiveness of all their sins, Bic. And in a following collect the bishop saysThese thy servants upon them (after the exam- ples of thy holy apostles) we have now laid our hands, to certify then (by this sign) of thy fhrour and gracious goodness towards them. But you declare to the world that you cannot find that God has given to his ministers any such authority to certify per- sons, of the favour and gracious goodness of God toward them, by any such sign as this. But since you reject this sign, are you 'r Dr. Calamr'c Moderate Noacanf. Vol. 11. p. 271.
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