,,( flu elitotunirj,; fi. 
 
 PRINCETON, N. J. 
 
 Presented by Mr Samuel A^ncw of Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
 Agncw Coll. on Baptism^ No. 
 
 
OONFIEMATION 
 
 FIKST COMMUNION. 
 
REPRINTED PROM THIS WORK FOR DISTRIBUTION. 
 
 SPECIAL LECTITEES, 
 
 On matters of Conscience, addressed to the Catechumens and their 
 Sponsors in the School-room or in the Church on Week-day Evenings : 
 with Questions for Self-examination on the Commandments. 48 pages. 
 Price 6d. 
 
 The Questions may be had separately. 
 
 CONYEESATIOJSrS. 
 
 1. The Meaning of Confirmation. 2. The Use of Confirmation. 
 3. Dangers of Habitual Confession. 4. Lead us not into temptation. 
 5. The Loed's Supper. 6. Sacramental Grace. 24 pages. Price 3d.. 
 
 HEADS OF CATECHETICAL INSTEUCTION. 
 
 Price Id. 
 
 HYMNS FOR CONFIEMATION. 
 
 Price Id. 
 
 LETTEE OJSr INFANT BAPTISM. 
 
 Price Id. 
 
 CEETIFICATES OF BAPTISM, &c. 
 
 For pasting into Prayer Books. Price 2s. 6d. per hundred. 
 
 LECTUEE ON THE COMMUNION SEEVICE, 
 
 Dehvered in the week preceding the Celebration. 
 
 SEEMON AT THE CELEBEATION OF THE FIEST 
 COMMUNION. 
 
 THE CHUECH. 
 
 A Sermon, addressed to those who were lately Catechumens, but who, 
 having been Confirmed, have just been admitted to their First Com- 
 munion. 
 
 24 pages, 3d. 
 
 EXAMINATION PAPEES. 
 
 9 for Is. 
 
Cnnfirmatinn m^ fm\ €mmmm : 
 
 A SERIES OF 
 
 ESSAYS, LECTURES, SERMONS, 
 CONVERSATIONS, AND HEADS OF CATECHISING, 
 
 EELATIVE TO 
 
 THE PREPARATION OF CATECHUMENS. 
 
 ' WhATEVEE THr HAND EINDETH TO DO, DO IT WITH THT MIGHT."— ECCLES. IX. 10. 
 
 BY THE^ IiATE 
 
 BY TH|i' 
 
 REV. HENRY^NEWLAND, M.A. 
 
 ^i^irtf lEUition. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 JOSEPH MASTERS, ALDERSGATE STREET, 
 
 AND NEW BOND STREET. 
 
 MDCCCLX. 
 
" Come, child, the world thou must explore, 
 From Paradise thou needs must go, 
 And as thou roamest onward, so 
 Thy whole life's region travel o'er ; 
 But, when thy pilgeimage is done, 
 Heaven will not fly thee, but be won." 
 
 Franz Franzen, Bishop of Hemosand. 
 

 i.'V^^"' 
 
 
 TO THE 
 
 RIGHT REY. THE LORD BISHOP OF OXFORD. 
 
 Westbourne Vicarage ^ Whit- Sunday ^ 1853. 
 
 My Lord, 
 
 The patron to whom a book is dedicated is a 
 sort of guarantee to the pubHc for the character of the 
 book itselfj a living synopsis of its contents. My book 
 is a record of hard work and practical experience j I 
 dedicate it therefore to the only Bishop on the Bench 
 (I think I may say the only Bishop within the memory 
 of manj who having successively filled the offices of 
 (1) Deacon, (2) Curate, (3) Incumbent, (4) Rural Dean, 
 
 (5) Archdeacon, (6) Cathedral Dean, (7) Bishop 
 
 is able not only to instruct his Clergy theoretically, but 
 to show them practically what their work should be. 
 
 Still, in dedicating my book to your Lordship, I 
 would not have it supposed that I am seeking to shift 
 from my own shoulders one particle of the responsibility 
 which every one must incur who publishes his senti- 
 ments on matters of doctrine. Your Lordship may 
 
VI DEDICATION. 
 
 possibly recognize here and there passages on which I 
 have sought your advice, but whatever I may have 
 written, if it was not niy own originally, I have at least 
 made it my own by adopting it. 
 
 In truth, I seek no protection. If my teaching has 
 been in accordance with that of the Church of England, 
 the Church itself will give me all the protection I want. 
 If I have exceeded or fallen short of that, I neither 
 desire nor deserve it. 
 
 I have the honour to be. 
 Your Lordship^ s 
 
 Faithful servant and friend, 
 Henry Newland. 
 

 PKEFACE 
 
 TO THE SECOND EDITION 
 
 It was not mtliout hesitation that in the first in- 
 stance I published this book as the result of my expe- 
 riences in parish work ; for work of this kind^ easy and 
 simple as it seems when put in practice in the ordinary 
 conversations and catechizings and school examinations 
 of every-day life^ is by no means so simple and easy^ 
 when actually detailed on paper^ and reduced to such a 
 form as must necessarily subject it to public criticism; 
 then these every-day subjects are found to involve such 
 difficult matters of doctrine^ such abstruse questions of 
 theology^ and such deep mysteries of religion^ that a 
 man may well shrink from defining that of which he 
 finds in many cases he has had hitherto only a vague 
 and general idea. 
 
 I do not hesitate to say_, that when I came to correct 
 my book for the press, I found it a very much more diffi- 
 cult task than I had anticipated. Under these circum- 
 stances, I am thankful that now, when it has been a 
 whole twelvemonth before the public, I am called upon 
 to make so few alterations in my second edition. 
 
 (1.) One, at all events, I make with very great plea- 
 
VUl PREFACE. 
 
 sure. I had stated my belief that our Lent Confirma- 
 tion was a solitary instance. I find that the Bishop of 
 Exeter frequently^ and the Bishop of Oxford habitually 
 and as a matter of duty^ hold their Confirmations at 
 that season, and that they have long ago adopted this 
 practice for the very reasons which I give in my In- 
 troductory Chapter. 
 
 (2.) I do not think the objection that has been made 
 to the word catechumen is of any great weight. 
 
 When I adopted this term to designate those whom 
 I was preparing for Confirmation, I was perfectly aware 
 that, strictly speaking, the word signified those who 
 were under a state of probation as candidates for Bap- 
 tism ; but in those days, these candidates were generally 
 adults, and their Baptism, Confirmation, and first Com- 
 munion followed upon each other so closely, that the 
 preparation for one was a preparation for all. 
 
 It is true that in these days we very seldom meet 
 with catechumens in the strict ecclesiastical sense of 
 the word. I have however retained the term as ap- 
 plicable to candidates for Confirmation, not only be- 
 cause the expression is etymologically correct, but be- 
 cause there is no other which describes that which I 
 intended to describe, a person placed in a state of pro- 
 bation in order to ascertain his fitness for a certain 
 privilege, and for that purpose periodically examined 
 and taught by question and answer. 
 
 (3.) The objection that in the ancient Church the 
 same sponsors were not admitted for Baptism or for 
 Confirmation, falls also under this category. When 
 Baptism and Confirmation followed closely upon each 
 other, it was advisable that the Church should have 
 double securities ; but in those cases in which a con- 
 siderable time intervenes between the two rites, the 
 
PREFACE. IX 
 
 same object is more effectually obtained^ by requiring 
 that the sponsors wbo undertook that the child should 
 be Christianly brought up, should appear again before 
 the Church, and give an account of the manner in 
 which the duty has been performed. Hence probably 
 it is, that though this rubric did exist in many of our 
 ancient rituals, it was omitted at the Reformation, and, 
 I believe, intentionally. 
 
 (4.) An objection has been made to Conversation 
 No. 3, p. 181, on the Dangers of Habitual Confession. 
 I cannot but think that my object in this conversation 
 has been a little misunderstood : it has been imagined, 
 that though I encourage Confession in young persons, I 
 wish to discourage it in those who are older. As a ge- 
 neral rule, I would discourage it neither in the one nor 
 in the other ; but I would point out the danger of urging 
 this ordinance indiscriminately in any case whatever, for 
 this is, as it appears to me, the mistake into which some 
 of our young Clergy are falling. Confession to many is 
 necessary — to all it maybe advantageous; but it is a 
 stimulant, and the tendency of all stimulants is to ener- 
 vate. It is the duty of the Parson to urge the necessity 
 of Confession on those to whom he considers it neces- 
 sary ; but while so doing, he should remember that he 
 is not feeding, but administering a medicine, and he 
 should watch the effect of that which he administers, 
 because this, like all other medicines, becomes a poison 
 when taken improperly; it is not either strength or 
 nourishment — it may be necessary in order to correct 
 something wrong, but if it be continued after it has 
 done its office, it becomes injurious, and ought to be 
 carefully and judiciously laid aside. It is very possible 
 that the same person who ought to be discouraged now 
 will require to be urged to Confession at some future 
 
X PREFACE. 
 
 time ; but tlie certainty that this will be the case here- 
 after does not make the medicine at all less dangerous 
 now. I have been told that in this, my imaginary case, 
 I ought to have heard the young man^s confession as 
 before, but given him a heavier penance. So very 
 likely I might have done in practice : this course is cer- 
 tainly advisable under particular circumstances. All I 
 mean to say is, that there are cases in which a man, 
 and more particularly a woman, may be enervating his 
 or her own character, and rendering him or herself more 
 open to temptation, by acquiring a habit of relying on 
 some one else, so that whenever the Parson sees symp- 
 toms of this, his duty is to stop it — and that this duty 
 becomes more urgent upon him from the fact that it is 
 exactly quiet, yielding, effeminate characters, those to 
 whom a habit of confession is least necessary and most 
 likely to be hurtful, who are most eager to confess ; and 
 at the same time it is the hard, stern, determined cha- 
 racters, those to whom the act of confession would be 
 most beneficial, who are most impracticable. A young 
 clergyman who knows it is his duty to urge men to 
 confess, is very likely to do what is easiest to himself, 
 and urge confession on the wrong people. This is a 
 real danger; and in writing on the subject for the be- 
 nefit of the young and inexperienced, it is a danger 
 against which it is necessary to guard. I have con- 
 sidered this chapter over and over again. I have asked 
 advice from those more experienced than myself, and I 
 do not wish to alter one word of it. 
 
 (5.) The chapter on the " Outward Visible Sign and 
 the Inward Spiritual Grace,^^ I have entirely re-written ; 
 not that I wish to recal anything that I have said on 
 the subject of the Real Presence, but that I wish to ex- 
 press the same idea in more reverent language. The 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Real Presence is of necessity supernatural; the idea,, 
 therefore;, is lowered, and_, as it were, degraded, when 
 we attempt to confine it within the hard outlines of 
 mathematical definition ; we cannot define that which, 
 confessedly beyond the grasp of human intellect, is a 
 matter of pui'e revelation. The Holy Eucharist is a 
 Sacrament, and foUows the law of Sacramental grace, 
 which is as applicable to it, as it was to the Paschal 
 Lamb or the sin ofiering of the Old Testament ; but we 
 can readily understand that in the actual Presence of 
 the LoRD^s Body there must be something higher, 
 holier, more mysterious, and more unapproachably 
 sacred, than in any other Sacramental institution. 
 
 I have contented myself, therefore, with a strict de- 
 finition of the term " Sacramental Grace," and, pre- 
 mising that the grace of the Loed^s Supper partakes of 
 this character, I think we shall do well to confine our- 
 selves to the strict letter of Scripture in whatever we 
 assert concerning it. 
 
 We are warranted in saying that the Inward Grace is 
 united to the Outward Sign by the Prayer of Conse- 
 cration, because it has been revealed to us that the cup 
 of blessing which we bless is the participation {xoiyoiviu) 
 of the Blood of the Anointed ; and the Bread which we 
 break is the participation of the Body of the Anointed. 
 We are also warranted in saying that this Sacrament, 
 this union of the Outward Visible Sign and the Inward 
 Spiritual Grace is actually the Lord^s Body and the 
 LoRD^s Blood, because this has been revealed in so many 
 words ; that, in the case of " those who believe on Him,-'^ 
 (S. John vi. 47) whoso eateth His Flesh and drinketh 
 His Blood hath eternal life, shall live by Him now, 
 shall be raised by Him at the last day, and shall live 
 for ever, (S. John vL 56 — 58), while he who is so faith- 
 
xH PREFACE. 
 
 less as not to discern the Lord^s Body^ eats and drinks 
 damnation to himself, (1 Cor. xi. 29) ; and we are not 
 warranted in saying that they are under any circum- 
 stances disunited^ because we have no revelation upon 
 which to found this assertion. 
 
 Thus far we are safe^ for thus far we rest upon actual 
 revelation ; but whenever we proceed farther^ and ask, 
 '' How can these things be ?'^ then we begin to apply 
 finite intellect to the comprehension of things infinite — 
 to measure the ocean in the hollow of our hands. 
 
 I repeat, therefore, that in re-writing this chapter, I 
 recal nothing of the doctrine which I intended to con- 
 vey by it — my intention is to convey the same meaning 
 in more reverent words ; and that without attempting to 
 remove the sacred mystery itself from that state of awful 
 indefiniteness in which revelation has placed it. 
 
 The same subject occurs again in the sermon on the 
 Sacraments, in which I compare the Roman Catholic, 
 the Protestant, and the Church interpretations of the 
 expression, '' This is My Body,^^ to an actual tract of 
 land, to a picture of that land, and to the title-deeds of 
 that land respectively. This idea, which was originally 
 Archdeacon Sinclair's, I have left as it was, because it 
 is a ratio, not a definition : it does not define, and is not 
 intended to define, what the Lord's Body is — it ex- 
 presses merely the relation which the Church's idea of 
 it bears to that of the Romanist on the one hand, and to 
 that of the Protestant on the other. 
 
 (6.) One addition I have made at the suggestion of a 
 friend, who was kind enough also to furnish me with 
 materials for making it. There certainly was an in- 
 completeness in my work. I had conducted my cate- 
 chumens to First Communion, but I had said nothing 
 on the subject of the Service itself, nor on their own 
 
PREFACE. XIU 
 
 behaviour and feelings during the celebration. This 
 deficiency is here supplied by a Lecture to be delivered 
 during the week before First Communion,, and by a 
 Sermon which is to form part of the First Communion 
 Service. To make room for this, I have left out a Ser- 
 mon on " The Church/^ which is a little foreign to the 
 purpose of the book, and which will come in more ap- 
 propriately in some subsequent publication. 
 
 This is all that I have in any way seen noticed : and 
 in this my preface to the second edition, I would wish 
 to express my thanks to those who have spoken or written 
 to me on the subject of this work. I can assure them 
 that every objection I have seen or heard I have not 
 only carefully weighed, but have reduced to writing ; 
 and, having placed it alongside of my own statement, 
 have submitted both to the judgment of some other 
 person in whom I felt confidence. I felt, and I feel, 
 that no one has a right to submit such a book as this 
 to the public on his own unassisted judgment. The 
 whole responsibility is mine, and I will not mention the 
 names of my advisers, because I do not wish to divide it 
 with them j but I have always considered part of that 
 responsibility to be, that I was bound to neglect no 
 means whatever of arriving at the true interpretation of 
 the Church of Christ. 
 
P E E F A C E ^""^^^^^ 
 
 TO THE riEST EDITIOj?^. 
 
 My object in writing this book is to afford to my 
 younger brethren in the ministry a guide in preparing 
 their flocks for Confirmation^, and to their catechumens 
 a summary of Christian doctrine. 
 
 I make no claim whatever to originahty. All modem 
 literature, says one who is himself a very eminent mo- 
 dem author, is but the pouring of the same liquid out 
 of one vial into another ; and if this be true generally, 
 as in a great measure it is, more especially is it true of 
 theological literature. As with the kaleidoscope, the 
 combinations are infinite, but the material which pro- 
 duces them all is limited. Truth is one, present it as 
 you will. 
 
 Nor will I take it upon me to say that my book is 
 altogether free from actual plagiarisms : I believe it is, 
 I have looked over it carefully. But the sermons and 
 lectures which it contains are the accumulations of years, 
 they are selections from whole heaps, and I have always 
 availed myself of any materials that came to hand, pro- 
 vided only they suited my purpose. 
 
XVI PREFACE. 
 
 I am not aware tliat I liave adopted any thing without 
 acknowledgment, but if I have,, it matters not ; my ob- 
 ject is to present, not original ideas and new methods, 
 but tested ideas and tried methods. I am giving to the 
 rising generation of Ministers the results of five and 
 twenty years^ experience, two and twenty of them as 
 Eector of this parish ; what I give them, therefore, is 
 not what I think or theorise, or what others have 
 thought or theorised, but what I have tried and reduced 
 to practice. 
 
 If this book has any value, it is simply this, that it 
 is the record of so much hard work. The sermons have 
 been preached, the lectures have been delivered, the 
 catechetical meetings, public and private, have been 
 held ; and, if the words and sentiments recorded in the 
 conversations are not the very words and sentiments 
 uttered, as manifestly they neither could be nor ought 
 to be, still they are specimens, showing what these con- 
 versations were like, and how the Christian doctrines 
 and duties were taught in them. My younger brethren 
 may feel perfectly certain that everything they meet 
 with in this book can be done, for the simple reason 
 that it has been done. I do not go quite so far as to 
 say that everything has been done by me, much of it 
 has, but at least everything I write about I have seen 
 done, and have tested in its practical working. 
 
 The first idea of this book was suggested by a most 
 useful department in the English Churchman, called 
 ^' Parochial Work." Parochial work is precisely that 
 for which my book is intended to be a guide. 
 
 It will be seen that, in this present work, the general 
 plan of preparing catechumens for Confirmation and 
 First Communion, is adapted for Lent and Easter, and 
 for many reasons, doctrinal as well as practical, Lent 
 
PREFACE. XVll 
 
 and Easter are the very best seasons that can be chosen 
 for those ordinances ; but Lent Confirmations are very 
 rare things to meet with. At that time of the year 
 Eishops are more overwhelmed with Parliamentary 
 business than they are at any other, and it requires a 
 good deal of self-denial on their parts, and some ar- 
 rangement also, to enable them to appoint that season. 
 We of the diocese of Chichester have great reason to be 
 thankful to our own Bishop, that we are able to present 
 the public with a specimen, — a solitary one in our dio- 
 cese, — of a Lent Confirmation. 
 
 I always follow, as every one ought to follow, the 
 teaching of the Church, and adapt my own teaching to 
 it ; at present, therefore, the machine is, as it were, set 
 for Lent and Easter. 
 
 I therefore in this instance call upon my catechumens 
 for watchfulness and self-examination at Septuagesima ; 
 for penitence and self-abasement during the season of 
 Lent itself; I bid them on Good Friday die to sin ; rise 
 to Christian light and life on Easter Day ; and then, as 
 " perfect Christians," armed by their Lord, strength- 
 ened by His Spirit, nourished by His Communion, take 
 their own places in the ranks of His army, that is to 
 say, learn and practise their duties as Churchmen, by 
 the Lessons of the great Forty days. 
 
 This is the Lenten setting of the machine; but I 
 might equally well have set it for the Sundays after 
 Trinity, for I have done so frequently. It is not always 
 that Bishops can find leisure to choose the fittest seasons. 
 I might have commenced by the great Forty Days ; and 
 thus, by taking as my means our duties as Churchmen, 
 the privileges derived from our membership with Christ, 
 the unity of His kingdom, our hopes of a future ascen- 
 sion, and of ^^ meeting the Lord in the air " — together 
 
XVlll PREFACE. 
 
 with the present aid and constant sanctification, which 
 the Church in general,, and every individual member of 
 it in consideration of his membership, is deriving from 
 that Blessed SpiriT; I might have taught the moral 
 duties of the Sundays after Trinity as the effect and 
 proof of membership. 
 
 Or again, I might have set it for Advent, thus — com- 
 mencing by the Sundays after Trinity, and showing that 
 the work and duty, which each after each unfolds, is no 
 more than what might reasonably be expected from those 
 who have been baptized in the Name of the Blessed Tri- 
 nity, in consideration of their adoption by the Father, 
 their redemption by the Son, and their sanctification by 
 the Holy Ghost ; I might warn my catechumens that 
 they are now about to be strengthened for that very 
 work by God Himself, and might bid them, by self- 
 examination, prepare for that great Advent of which 
 this, in which they receive their first Communion, is but 
 the type and the remembrancer. 
 
 These adaptations are easy, and I leave it for those 
 who work upon my plan to make them for themselves, 
 should the time for which their Confirmations are fixed 
 render such adaptations necessary. 
 
 The Special Lectures with Questions for Self-Exami- 
 nation from the Commandments (p. 92,) the Conversa- 
 tions (p. 172,) the Heads of Catechetical Instruction, 
 (p. 235,) the Hymns (p. 251,) the Letter on Infant 
 Baptism (p. 367,) and the Certificate Cards, have been 
 reprinted from this book; the Examination Papers 
 (p. 211) belong to Parker^s series of "Parochial Tracts,^^ 
 with whom arrangements have been made for supplying 
 them. It has always appeared to me that something 
 of this sort is absolutely necessary to work with, in 
 order to preserve a regular system of instruction and 
 
PREFACE. XIX 
 
 preparation, and to form a basis for the viva voce 
 teaching. 
 
 Although the subject which I have taken in hand is 
 from its nature of a practical rather than a controversial 
 character, I have nevertheless thought it advisable to 
 write more fully on one or two doctrinal points, which of 
 late days have been called in question, and to show the 
 sense in which these points were held by the Reformers 
 as well as by the Primitive Church. 
 
 All teaching, however practical, must necessarily be 
 based on doctrine ; but there is no reason why, because 
 the doctrines are abstruse, the practical teaching which 
 we found on them should be abstruse also. 
 
 Our teaching may be perfectly simple and perfectly 
 open to the lowest capacity; but, in order that it 
 should be so, it is necessary that we ourselves have a 
 clear and well defined idea of the doctrines upon which 
 we teach, and a firm and full conviction of their truth 
 and their unchangeableness. 
 
 The basis of my teaching in this book is the Sacra- 
 mental theory, and the cognate doctrines of Confession 
 and Absolution, as held by the Church of England, in 
 contradistinction to the Church of Rome, and to all Dis- 
 sentiug bodies whatever, English or foreign. I show the 
 sense in which these doctrines are held, and always have 
 been held by the English Church, not only as the key 
 to all my practical teaching, but as my warrant and au- 
 thority for teaching at all. I have no desire, as I have 
 no right, to teach according to my own theories, or my 
 ow^n interpretation of Scripture, or my own private judg- 
 ment. I am the sworn servant of the Church of Eng:- 
 land, and as I understand her interpretation, so I, her 
 Minister, the vehicle of her instruction, teach it to her 
 children. 
 
XX PREFACE. 
 
 I have said that we owe our Lent Confirmation and 
 our Easter first Communion to the Bishop of Chichester. 
 I should have added^ " by and with the advice of his 
 Presbytery/^ All honour be to the Bishop of Exeter; 
 he convened the first Diocesan Synod of modern times 
 for the defence of the Church's doctrine. All honour 
 be to the Bishop of Oxford, whose Synods, though less 
 formal and regular, are constant. But the first Synod 
 for the practical work of a diocese was summoned by 
 the Bishop of Chichester, and our Lent Confirmation 
 was the result of it. 
 
 In the autumn of 1850, the Bishop of Chichester di- 
 rected his Rural Deans to convene their respective Chap- 
 ters, in order to ascertain by deliberation and vote, what 
 was the most fitting season for holding the announced 
 Confirmation. The subject was regularly debated, and 
 reasons given for and against particular seasons; the 
 votes were formally taken, the reports of the Chapters 
 were duly transmitted to the Bishop by the Rural Deans. 
 The Bishop confirmed the vote of the majority, and 
 acted upon it. It was a regular Synod. 
 
 Nor indeed is this a subject unworthy of the deep 
 consideration and grave debate of a more formal Synod 
 than ours was. Few people, except parish Priests who 
 have had constant and lengthened experience in these 
 matters, can understand the importance of fit seasons. 
 The seasons of the natural year, the lengthening even- 
 ings, the unusual leisure, interrupted, and that only par- 
 tially, by the spring sowing, the greater facilities for 
 preparation, all these are subjects well deserving of 
 thought. But far more than people of general educa- 
 tion can possibly conceive, depends on the seasons of 
 the spiritual year, which, being thus adapted to the feel- 
 ings of the catechumens, in the first place are made 
 
PREFACE. XXI 
 
 means of teaching and systems of preparation, and even- 
 tually become anniversaries and remembrancers of First 
 Communion, its blessings, its privileges, and its duties. 
 
 While these sheets were in the press, the following 
 announcement reached me from the Bishop of Chiches- 
 ter, and as the exhortation to the godfathers and god- 
 mothers is so complete a confirmation of my own obser- 
 vations, I have requested permission of his Lordship to 
 publish it. 
 
 "To THE Ministers of the Diocese of Chichester. 
 
 " Reverend and Dear Brother, 
 
 " On the day and at the church assigned in the 
 scheme below, I purpose, God willing, to administer the 
 Holy Rite of Confirmation to such members of your 
 Flock as, being of a suitable'^ age, and not having yet 
 been admitted thereto, you shall then recommend and 
 present to me for the purpose. 
 
 " Meanwhile, I request that you will read the follow- 
 ing Announcement and Exhortation in your church, on 
 one or more Sundays, as you shall judge expedient, after 
 Morning and Evening Prayer. 
 
 " I remain, 
 " Your faithful and affectionate Brother, 
 "A. T. Cicestr. 
 
 '^Palace, Chichester, May 24th, 1853. 
 
 '* Be it observed, tlie Bishop does not take upon himself to determine 
 what the "suitable age" is — he leaves that to the discretion of the 
 parish Priests. 
 
XXll PREFACE. 
 
 "Announcement and Exhortation. 
 
 " Dearly Beloved Brethren, 
 
 " I am directed by the Bishop to give notice, 
 that he will, by God^s help, be ready to confirm such 
 young persons, and others, of this parish, as shall be 
 duly prepared, on Saturday, the thirtieth day of August, 
 at Westbourne, where they are required to be at eleven 
 o'clock. 
 
 "The Bishop further desires, through me, on this 
 occasion, to remind godfathers and godmothers of the 
 obligations they have contracted towards those for whom 
 they answered on the day of their baptism ; and the 
 natural parents, likewise, of the obligations they con- 
 tracted towards those godfathers and godmothers, to- 
 wards the Church, and towards Christ, and the Father, 
 and the Holy Spirit, the one ever-blessed God, when 
 their child was brought to the baptismal font in the 
 Church's faith, acting by the sponsors, and there laid in 
 Christ's arms, in the sure trust that He would receive 
 and bless it as He did those young children who were 
 brought to Him in the days of His flesh upon earth. 
 Those obligations and responsibilities were nothing less 
 than that, each in your sphere you should look to it 
 that the children baptized ' should be taught, as soon as 
 they should be able to learn, what a solemn vow, pro- 
 mise and profession' you then made for them in their 
 baptism. A season of Confirmation, then, is a season 
 of inquiry, affecting all the parties before concerned in 
 bringing an infant to baptism. Have you fulfilled the 
 engagements then so solemnly entered into ? Have you 
 taken care that the children, who on your presentation 
 of them, were admitted by the Church to baptism, 
 
PREFACE. XXlll 
 
 should, by yourselves^ or by otbers, be taugbt the Creed, 
 the LoRD^s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and all 
 other things which a Christian ought to know and be- 
 lieve to his souFs health? And you, who have not yet 
 renewed in your own persons the vows that were then 
 made for you, (that is, who have not yet been confirmed,) 
 have you, as dutiful children, and faithful servants — 
 according to your years, — of Christ, set yourselves to 
 improve the privileges of your Christian calling, so as 
 to be ready, now that you are of a sufficient age, to re- 
 new, with an understanding mind, and a willing heart, 
 the covenant heretofore made for you in the blood of 
 your merciful Saviour? These are the inquiries vir- 
 tually addressed to a very large number of this congre- 
 gation by the announcement that a day is appointed on 
 which the young, and others who are duly prepared, 
 may be presented for Confirmation. Them it will be 
 my duty especially to examine and to instruct towards 
 this end. But neither was it fitting that the oppor- 
 tunity should be omitted of calling the serious attention 
 of others to the different degrees in which they too are 
 interested in this event. It is an occurrence, indeed, 
 which cannot be viewed with indifference by any faithful 
 member of the congregation ; for if true Christians, we 
 must feel that we are all concerned in the spiritual 
 welfare each of the other as bound together in a holy 
 brotherhood in Christ Jesus our Lord.^^ 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Inteoduction. — On Confiemation. 
 
 Our people unable to realise our Office — Eeasons for this — Confirma- 
 tion a means of regaining tliem — Sponsors — ISTecessary at Confirmation 
 — The use of them — Christian Education — Obstacles in the way of it — 
 Means of observing them — Middle Schools — Sunday Schools — Evening 
 Schools — Obstacles to preparing for Confirmation arising from the 
 occupations of the Lower Classes — Arising from the inexperience of 
 Bishops — The Proper Age for Confirmation — Common mistakes made 
 by the Priest himself — Preparation of the Conscience as weU as the 
 Intellect — Schism — Preaching must be authoritative, not argumentative 
 — Preparation of Intellect — Of Conscience — Articulus stantis vel caden- 
 tis Ecclesise — ^Work and Pay — Salvation by Works essentially a Pu- 
 ritan idea — National pecuharities to be studied as well as personal — 
 Difference between the Enghsh character and the Itahan or Spanish — 
 The Church adapts her teaching to reach either of these characters. — 
 (Pp. 1—40.) 
 
 aE:jfEEAL LECTUEES. 
 
 I. — TkE AWAXEFIIfG. 
 
 Cheist our Example — The Churchman taught by the Calendar — 
 Advent, Preparations for following Cheist — Christmastide, Quahfica- 
 tions for following Cheist — Circumcision, Obedience — Epiphany Pri- 
 vileges — Sundays after Epiphany, the various duties of social hfe — Last 
 Sunday after Epiphany, the Warning, and the offered Prize — Septua- 
 gesima : the Awakening — The Talents — Easter : the Eesm-rection — The 
 Priest's invitation — Preparation necessary — Easter a warning of Judg- 
 ment.— (Pp. 41—50.) 
 
 II. — The Joijeney theou&h tAe Wildeeist:ss. 
 
 The whole of the Old Testament narrative is Typical — Christian Doc- 
 trines taught by Jewish types — The narrative of the Exodus — The Key 
 
 b 
 
XXVI CONTENTS. 
 
 to the Mystery — Egy^t — Original Sin — Pharaoh, the Devil — Moses, the 
 Leader — The Passover, the Sacrifice — the Red Sea, Baptism — The PiUar 
 of the Cloud, the Holt Gthost — Sinai, Confirmation — The Rock and 
 the Manna, the Eucharist — the Overthrowing of the Israelites, the pos- 
 sibility of the Regenerate falling short — The Jordan, Death — The Ark 
 borne by the Priests, God's ordinances borne by His appointed Mi- 
 nisters, opens the passage of it. — (Pp. 51 — 59.) 
 
 III. — The Season op Watchfulness and Sele -Examination. 
 
 The Sundays dating from Easter — Septuagesima : Watch — Lent : 
 Pray — Change in the character of the Gospels — The Labourers in the 
 Vineyard — Change in the character of the Lessons : Isaiah and Genesis 
 — The Parable of the Sower — Christian fields and Christian hearts — 
 The Miracle of the Blind Man — Reason why it concludes the Season of 
 Watchfuhaess— Cheist is Light.— (Pp. 60—68.) 
 
 IV. — The Season op Manhood. 
 
 The Church Calendar a Type of the Christian's Life as well as the 
 Exodus — Manhood is not enjoyment, but hard work — Liberty implies 
 Responsibihty — The Duties and Privileges of Manhood shown by the 
 faix Sundays in Lent — First Sunday : Social duties easier than personal 
 piirity — Second Sunday : Our spiritual weakness — Third Sunday : God's 
 Defence.— (Pp. 69—76.) 
 
 v.— God's Help. 
 
 A sense of our own weakness peculiarly necessary to those who have 
 made any advance in Holiness — Example of the Pharisees — Reason for 
 the constant recurrence of the Ash Wednesday Collect — The Memory 
 of our past unworthiness a more profitable meditation than that of any 
 present advance in Holiness — How to avoid the snare of Spuitual Pride. 
 —(Pp. 77—83.) 
 
 VI. — The Cheistian's Noijeishment. 
 
 Midlent Sunday — The Sundays in Lent are not Sundays of Lent — 
 The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes — It forms the Gospel for two 
 important Sundays — Reason for this — Its Advent interpretation — Its 
 Easter interpretation— The latter authorised by our Loed — Why the 
 Commimion is the real Bread from Heaven rather than the Manna. — 
 (Pp. 84—91.) 
 
 SPECIAL LECTURES. 
 
 Lectuee I. 
 
 Faith and Works — Judging of these by the rule of God's Command- 
 ments — Questions for Self-Examination. — (Pp. 92 — 95.) 
 
 Lectuee II. — The Fiest Commandment. 
 
 Subject continued and appUed to the First Commandment — Love of 
 God — Questions on the First Commandment, — (Pp. 95 — 99.) 
 
CONTENTS. XXVll 
 
 Lecttjee m. — The Second Commandment. 
 
 "We worship G-OD by turning to its proper use and dedicating to Him 
 everything that He has given us — The reason why, in the Second Com- 
 mandment, GrOD warns us that He will visit the sins of the fathers upon 
 the children — Force of Example — Selfishness in PubHc Worship — Pews 
 — Self-Examination on the Second Commandment — The First Com- 
 mandment relates to Feehngs, the Second to Actions — Reason for the 
 threatening contained in this last — Force of Example — Questions on the 
 Second Commandment. — (Pp. 99 — 103.) 
 
 Lecttjee IV. — The Thied Commandment. 
 
 Irreverent Behaviour a sign of want of Faith — Questions on the Third 
 Commandment.— (Pp. 103—106.) 
 
 Lecttjee V. — The Fotjeth Commandment. 
 
 Some things are more pecTiliarly God's than others — ^Why — Augustus 
 Hare — AppUcation of this Principle to the Fourth Commandment — 
 Questions on the Fourth Commandment. — (Pp. 107 — 111.) 
 
 Lecttjee YI. — The Fefth Commandment. 
 Similarity between the Commandments of the First and Second Table 
 — The Six last Commandments afford us means of putting into practice 
 that which we profess in the Four first — The Fifth Commandment the 
 connecting link — Parents are to the Child in the same relation as God 
 to the Man — Questions on the Fifth Commandment. — (Pp. Ill — 114.) 
 
 Lecttjee VII.— The Sixth Commandment. 
 
 Crimes of infrequent occurrence more likely to shock our feelings — 
 But this is not the way God measures them — Murder once a common 
 crime, and then hghtly thought of — Histories of Froissart — Sixth com- 
 mandment — Questions on the Sixth Commandment. — (Pp. 115 — 118.) 
 
 Lecttjee VIII. — The Seventh Commandment. 
 
 Men measure the amount of sin by the amount of harm done — 
 Breaches of the Seventh Commandment heavily visited by pubKc opinion, 
 while habits which lead to them are thought but Hghtly of — History 
 of Dinah — Questions on the Seventh Commandment. — (Pp. 118 — 123.) 
 
 Lecttjee IX. — The Eighth Commandment. 
 Instances where the judgment of the World and the judgment of 
 God coincide — Reasons for this — Peculiar Difficulties which this throws 
 in the way of Self-Examination — Method by which we may overcome 
 these difficulties — Instances where Man's virtue becomes his snare — 
 Questions on the Eighth Commandment. — (Pp. 123 — 130.) 
 
 Lecttjee X. — The Ninth Commandment. 
 
 Self and Selfishness the great snare with respect to all the Command- 
 ments, especially the Ninth — We love Detraction better than Commen- 
 dation — Reasons for this — Our custom of measuring ourselves by one 
 another, rather than by the rule of God's Commandments — Servants' 
 Duties with respect to the Ninth Commandment— Questions. — (Pp. 
 130—135.) 
 
XXYlll CONTENTS. 
 
 Lectitbe XI. — ^The Tenth Commaitdment. 
 
 The great possibility of breaking the Tenth Commandment without 
 knowing that we are doing so — Our Savioue's Test — How to apply it 
 — Objects of Covetousness in a civilized country — ^Application of the 
 Test to them— Questions.— (Pp. 135—139.) 
 
 Confession. 
 
 Ad Clerum. 
 
 The Parson's Staff— Duties of the Pupil- Teacher— The Sunday- 
 School Teacher — The Visitor — The Curate — The Parson — Reasons why 
 the Parson's duty is at home — Classification of Catechumens — Auricu- 
 lar Confession — Sinfahiess the aggregate of single sins — Confession in 
 the case of Catechumens in some respects a Lesson — The mode of teach- 
 ing it — The Difference between Confession in the Romish Church and 
 Confession in the Enghsh Chm'ch — The use of Sponsors in the Ordi- 
 nance of Confession — Popular Declaimers against this Ordinance them- 
 selves an unwilhug testimony in its favour — The manner in which it is 
 frequently misused by the Catechumens themselves — Reasons why 
 Childi'en are ready to confess — Why this feehng dies away — Why it 
 ought to die away — The office of Confessor easier in the Church of 
 Rome than in that of England — The true criterion of a Parson's Work. 
 —(Pp. 140—150.) 
 
 Absolution. 
 
 Ad Clerum. 
 
 Absolution connected with Confession — A Steward the dispenser or 
 divider of that with which he has been entrusted — The Theory of Abso- 
 lution under the Patriarchal, Jewish, and Christian Dispensations — 
 Necessity of Formal Absolution — Those who are not absolved by the 
 Eorm of Absolution — Those who are absolved without the Form of 
 Absolution— Those who alone are permitted to use it — Theory of Abso- 
 lution in the Enghsh Church, from the Bible — From the Prayer-Book 
 — Necessity of explaining this to Catechumens — Reasons why Catechu- 
 mens should be absolved by the Greneral rather than the Special Forms 
 — All Forms identical in their import — Bishop Sparrow's explanation 
 of this — Baptism a greater exercise of the Power of the Keys than 
 Absolution — Council of Rome — Augustine — The Ancient Form of Ab- 
 solution — The Liturgy of S. James — The Missal of Illyricus and Car- 
 dinal Bona — The Introduction of the Form used ia the Visitation Ser- 
 vice. — S. Thomas Aquinas — The two Forms imply the same thing — The 
 Church of England retains both — How the Minister of that Church 
 should apply them — The Decision of the Church respecting Lay Baptism, 
 and the practice of the English Church respecting Schismatical Bap- 
 tism, no authority for Lay or Schismatical Absolution. — (Pp. 151 — 165.) 
 The Paeson's Note-Book. 
 
 A Note-Book necessary — Why — Adaptation of Subjects — Classifica- 
 tion of Catechumens — Specimens : 1. Catechimien rehgious, friends 
 Non-communicants — 2. Zeal and Ignorance — 3. Groing out to Service — 
 4. The Catechumen careless, friends good Churchmen — 5. Dissent — 6. 
 Works strong, Faith weak.— (Pp. 166—171.) 
 
CONTENTS. XXIX 
 
 CONVEESATIONS. 
 
 I. The Meaning- of Confiemation. — (Pp. 172 — 177.) 
 II. The Use of Confirmation. — (Pp. 177 — 181.) 
 
 III. Dangees of HABiTrAii Confession. — (Pp. 181 — 187.) 
 
 IV. Lead tjs not into Temptation. — (Pp. 187 — 189.) 
 Y. The Loed's Suppee.— (Pp. 190—193.) 
 
 VI. Saceamental Gteaoe. — (Pp. 194 — 197.) 
 
 The Outwaed Visible Sign and the Inwaed Spieituai Geace. 
 
 A common error on this subject — The union between the sign and 
 the thing signified indissokible — Consequences of this — the EngHsh 
 Church compared with the Swedish on this point — Consubstantiation 
 — Transubstantiation— EngHsh Theory — Calvinistic Theory — Proofs of 
 the Enghsh Theory fr-om the Prayer Book — With respect to Baptism ; 
 to the Communion ; to Confirmation — Proofs from the Bible — S. Paul's 
 Argimient from the Types of the Two Sacraments — The Grrace of GrOD 
 in both always one and the same thing, but may be perverted in the 
 using.— (Pp. 198—210.) 
 
 Examination Papees. 
 
 How to use them — ^Why they should not be too easy — ^Why the Cate- 
 chumens should not be restricted in asking their friends' assistance — 
 No. 1. Holy Baptism — No. 2. The Baptismal Vows — No. 3. Prayer — 
 No. 4. Confirmation — No. 5. Holy Communion — ^No. 6. The Church. — 
 (Pp. 211—220.) 
 
 Synopsis of Seemons. 
 
 Advantages of it — In some cases objectionable — Why — The descrip- 
 tion of Sermon best calculated for it — The Bishop of Chichester's 
 Charge at the Confirmation at Westbourne remarkably effective — Why 
 it was so — Pecuhar manner of delivering it. — (P. 221.) 
 
 Synopsis of the Bishop of Chichester's Charge by one of the Catechu- 
 mens.— (Pp. 224—229.) 
 
 The Essay. 
 
 The Essay not liable to any sort of Objection — Few Catechumens can 
 write Essays — Preparation for them — Subjects of Essays adapted for 
 Confirmation — Specimen of one of them by a Catechumen — Critical Ob- 
 servations on the above by the Parson. — (Pp. 229 — 234.) 
 
 Heads of Catechetical Insteuction. 
 
 Catechists should be supplied with Explanations of the Catechism — 
 But should not be permitted to use such books in catechising — Why — 
 The Parson should draw out Heads of Catechising for them — Specimen 
 ofone.— (Pp. 235— 242.) 
 
 Chttech Music and Hymnody. 
 
 The feelings must be appealed to as weU. as the Understanding — The 
 use of Music and Poetry — The suppression of Church Music in England 
 
XXX CONTENTS. 
 
 at the G-reat Rebellion — Whj it has never been restored — The Enghsh 
 Prayer Book possesses no Hymnarium — How this happened — The G-er- 
 man Hymns — The Swedish Bede Psahner — Singing must be Congrega- 
 tional — How to make it so — G-regorian Music the only Music adapted 
 to a Congregation — Difficulty of teaching it — Method of teaching it — 
 Use of Modern Chants — The Selection of Hymns — Bishop Mant's ob- 
 jection to them — Over- scrupulousness in the Bishop — A Parson as well 
 qualified to select his Hymns as to write his Sermons. — (Pp. 243 — 250.) 
 
 Hymns. 
 
 1. On the Announcement of Confirmation. 
 
 2. Preparing for Confirmation. 
 
 3. The Day of Confirmation — Morning — Noon — Evening. 
 
 4. After the First Communion — Eveniag — Morning. 
 
 5. Cheist's Soldiers.— (Pp. 251—257.) 
 
 The Class Lectuee. 
 
 The Assortment of Classes — The Advantages of Mixed Classes in 
 Schools — In a Moral as well as an Educational point of view — Mixed 
 Classes in Confirmation advantageous under certain Circumstances — 
 Circumstances under wliich they are not advisable — Precautions — Self- 
 respect the only safeguard in the intercourse between young persons 
 of opposite sexes. — (Pp. 258 — 263.) 
 
 Specimen of a Class Lecttjee. 
 
 The Lost Sheep — The Lost Piece of Money — Points of similarity in 
 these Parables — Points of Difference — The Duty of the Church — The 
 bearing of the Parable of the Prodigal Son upon these two — The parti- 
 cular poiat of Doctrine set forth by this last Parable — Begeneration and 
 Renewal — The latter Parable apphcable to Christians only — Why — 
 Groing out into the World — Wasting the " Substance"- -Worldly Con- 
 solations — The Beginning of actual Sin — Coming to ourselves — The 
 Thought — The Action — The latter met by the Eathee — The Eobe — 
 The Nourishment — The Blessed State of those who have never fallen 
 away from Grace given. — (Pp. 263 — 272.) 
 
 CATECHETICAL LECTURES. 
 
 PubHc Catechising — Advantages of adding to this a Catechetical Lec- 
 ture — Difficulties in Catechising — Qualifications in the Parson necessary 
 for it — No particular amount of talent required — The Power of Cate- 
 chising in Pubhc a good criterion of the Parson's Work. — (Pp. 273 
 —276.) 
 
 Lectuee I. — On the Catechism. 
 
 Catechising an old custom in the Church. — The Reason why it was 
 dropped — Choice of Children for Catechumens — Advice to the Children 
 — Cheist the Head— The Church the Body— Themselves individually 
 the Members or Parts — How we become Children of God — How, by 
 being Children of God, we become Inheritors of the Eiugdom of Heaven 
 —Our First Promise.— (Pp. 276—282.) 
 
CONTENTS. XXXI 
 
 Lectitee II. — On the Catechism. 
 
 The Christian Covenant — How obtained and how renewed, a neces- 
 sary piece of information for all — Baptism the Title-deeds of our In- 
 heritance. — The grace freely given — Sin after Baptism — Resolution — 
 Christian Resolution.— (Pp. 282—287.) 
 
 Lecttjee in. — On the Ceeed. 
 
 Review of the Lent Lectures as Preparations for the Easter Commu- 
 nion — As necessary to examine ourselves on our breaches of the Arti- 
 cles of Faith, as on those of the Articles of Duty — The Creed must be 
 interpreted in the same way as the Commandments — The Creed part of 
 the conditions of Baptism — The Difference between Articles of Faith and 
 Articles of Chui'ch Disciphne.— (Pp. 287—292.) 
 
 Lecttjee IV. — On the Ceeed. 
 The Division of the Subject into Three Heads — (1) Those who be- 
 lieve in GrOD the Creator — (2) Those who beheve in God the Fathee 
 as revealed by GtOD the Son — This does not apply to aU persons without 
 distinction — (3) The meaning of the word Elect — Those whom the Holy 
 GrHOST sanctifies — The same division may be apphed to those who 
 receive the Creed wholly or in part — The Creed to be regarded rather as 
 an enumeration of Blessings for which we ought to be thankful, than as 
 a mere Statement of Facts in which we ought to beheve — (Pp. 292 
 —296.) 
 
 Lectuee V. — On Peatee. 
 
 The Two Truths on which ReHgion depends — Our power to perform 
 our Promises — The dangers of rash and unauthorized Prayers — Prayer 
 should be Regular — Prayer should be made in common with others, as 
 well as in private — The Church Prayers the very best that we can use 
 on aU occasions — Intercessory Prayer — Prayer a sign of Faith. — (Pp. 
 296—301.) 
 
 Lecttjee TI. — On the Saceaments. 
 
 GrOD always bestows His G-race through some Sign — Instances of this 
 — The Reason why the Instrument becomes efficient — The Summing 
 up — The Covenants — Real Faith — True Obedience — Means of seeking 
 Grace — Means whereby God conveys it — Regeneration in Baptism — Re- 
 newal in the Holy Communion. — (Pp. 301 — 307.) 
 
 SERMONS. 
 
 I. — The Covenant oe Woeks. 
 
 The Four Ordinances a Consecutive Chain — The Catechism pointed 
 out as the Means of Instruction — The Reason why the Bible is not 
 chosen for that purpose — The Five Divisions of the Catechism — The 
 History of the Catechism — The Covenant of Works — The Fallen State 
 of Man — Original, Actual, and Habitual Sin — Means of Recoveiy — Re- 
 vealed to a certain extent to Adam — The Object of Sacrifices — The Dif- 
 ferent Dispensations — The Sacrifice of Cheist. — (Pp. 308 — 319.) 
 
XXXU CONTENTS. 
 
 IIv — The Covenant of Gteace. 
 The Meaning of the Term — Privileges — The Three Christian Privi- 
 leges — (1) The Inheritance of Heaven — (2) The Membership with 
 Cheist — The objects of belonging to a Society — (3) Children of God — 
 In what sense this is a Christian Privilege — Definition of the expression, 
 Covenant of Grrace — Possibihty of faHmg from Grrace — The means of en- 
 tering into this Covenant — Comparison of a Friendly Society — Children 
 Admissible — Why — The advantages enjoyed by the entrance into this 
 Covenant.— (Pp. 320—329.) 
 
 III. — Faith, oe the Ceeeds. 
 
 Faith necessary to Salvation — Believing with the Heart and believing 
 with the Understanding — The Creed is the Summary of Christian Doc- 
 trines — The Three Creeds — The Origin of them — Comparison of the 
 Nicene Creed with that of the Apostles — The Athanasian Creed — Into- 
 lerance — The Three Divisions of the Apostles' Creed — The Twelve Ar- 
 ticles of Faith — The Duties impHed by them — The Four Privileges 
 recorded in the Creed — The Eeason why these things are necessary to 
 Salvation.— (Pp. 330—342.) 
 
 lY. — Peater. 
 
 The impossibility of performing our Promises without Assistance — 
 The necessity of faUing back on our Privileges — Divine Grace — A 
 Popish Error connected with this Doctrine — The Teaching of the Cate- 
 chism respecting it — Prayer a Privilege rather than a Duty — Faith a 
 necessary ingredient in Prayer — The Loed's Prayer — Its Arrangement 
 — Explanation of it — When the Loed's Prayer should be used— Lifting 
 up "Voices "with one accord" — Spectators, Auditors, and Worshippers — 
 We must ask before God wiH give.— (Pp. 343 — 353.) 
 
 y . — Saceaments . 
 
 The meaning of the words " Steward " and " Mysteries" — The Neglect 
 of Ordinances indicates a low state of Eeligion — Asking not the same 
 as receiving — We receive through the Outward Sign — Illustrations of 
 this — Why it should be so ordained — The Ordinances of Cheist' S 
 Church — Not aU of equal necessity — Those which are " generally " 
 necessary to Salvation — The word " Sacrament " — The Eomanist and 
 Protestant notions of the Eeal Presence — The Church's Doctrine on that 
 Subject — Illustrations — " The Sacrament instead of the Savioue" — The 
 Loed's Supper necessary to the Salvation of a Churchman — Those who 
 eat and drmk their own damnation — Those who ought to come. — (Pp. 
 354—366.) 
 
 Infant Baptism. 
 
 The Emsworth Anabaptists — Their zeal in Proselytizing — ^A zeal not 
 according to Honesty — The use to which a Heterodox Tract may be 
 put — Adiilt Baptism a Church Doctrine — The real point of difference 
 between the Church and the Anabaptists — How it happens that a thing 
 of importance may occupy but httle space in the Bible — The similarity 
 between the Old Covenant of Circumcision, to which Children were ad- 
 mitted, and the New Covenant of Baptism — The Jewish Child could 
 not be put out of Covenant — What " Households" were in those days — 
 
CONTENTS. XXXlll 
 
 The Council of Cartilage — Baptizing, " Rhantizing," and Dipping — 
 Sponsors not necessary to Baptism — The use of reading the Prayer 
 Book and understanding the Bible — The Dangers of Private Judgment. 
 —(Pp. 367—376.) 
 
 Lectitee on the Communion Seevice. — (Pp. 377 — 387.) 
 
 Seemon at the Celebeation oe the Fiest Communion. — (P. 389.) 
 
 The Chuech. 
 
 God's Spieit guides — We are to go forward — The Setting out of the 
 Israelites our Example — The Whole Armour of GrOD — There were no 
 Desertions from GtOd's Army then — ISTor Safety for Deserters — To whom 
 the Bible is addressed — Our Duties Twofold in their Character — The 
 Error of the Eomanist and Protestant Dissenter Hes in taking one only 
 of these two sets of duties — Illustrations of this from the Church Ser- 
 vices — Confirmation, Baptism, the Communion — Grace prayed for col- 
 lectively — Received individually — The Christian fiiUy armed, and bid to 
 set forward.— (Pp. 392—400.) 
 
 Authoeities on Coneession. 
 
 Ad Clerum. 
 
 The Church warranted in Authorising an Act of Discipline — The 
 Analogy between bodily ailments and spiritual ailments, and bodily 
 physicians and spiritual physicians — Confession Authorised in the Bible 
 — Received by the Church universally — S. Clement's Epistle — Origen, 
 Gregory, S. Basil, S. Augustine — All these Authorities interpret the 
 Passage as the Church of England holds it now — DaiUe— Unanimity of 
 the Reformers on the subject of Confession — Confession of Augsbiu'g — 
 Melancthon — The Swedish Church — The Calvinist Bodies — Calvin — The 
 English Reformers, Cranmer, Ridley, Latimer — Inference drawn from 
 the Unanimity of the Reformers — The Points of Difference between the 
 EngHsh and Romish Doctrine — Small in Theory — The Puritan tendency 
 is towards Unitarianism — Dishonesty ascribed to the Reformers — Jewel 
 — Why his testimony is valuable — Hall — Usher — Chilhngworth — Sharp 
 — The Quotation from Calvin — The testimony carried down to the year 
 1744 — How the Witnesses have been selected — The Value of Tradition 
 is Testimony rather than Opinion — The Romish Doctrine of Confession 
 — The Anglican Doctrine of Confession — The Voluntary Character of 
 the latter — The effect of interfering with this in the Scandinavian Church 
 — Things committed to the discretion of the Priest — Periodical Confes- 
 sion not the Rule of the EngHsh Church — Cases of this must be excep- 
 tional — Instances, where Periodical Confession might be advisable — The 
 Meaning of the word " Minister" — Duty of a Minister — Prejudices in 
 England against Confession — Reason of this — Proof of Neghgence in 
 the Clergy — How Neghgence may become Faithlessness — The Private 
 Churchman has a greater latitude of Opinion allowed him than the 
 Priest — Why — The Minister a Servant of the Church, and bound by his 
 Service.— (Pp. 401—428.) 
 
 Geundtyig's Hymn op Peaise to the Holy Teinity. — (P. 428.) 
 
 c 
 
CONFIRMATION 
 
 ^%^ 
 
 FIRST COMMUNION 
 
 ON CONFIRMATION. 
 
 Ambassadors of Christ and Stewards of the Mys- 
 teries OF God. It is thus that S. Paul defines the 
 office and character of the Clergy ; and therefore it is in 
 proportion as we are or are not able to realise this de- 
 finition, and to present it to the minds of our people, 
 that we hold our influence over them as the Ministers of 
 Christ's Church, or as the Ministers of a State Es- 
 tablishment. 
 
 Now, whether it be from our own ignorance, or from 
 negligence, or from accidents in our temporal position 
 over which we have no control, or from the combined 
 result of all these causes, the fact is, that in almost all 
 our intercourse with our people, this definition is prac- 
 tically lost sight of; if we have any influence over their 
 minds, it is in our own individual character, not in our 
 office of Ambassadors, that we possess it : we may owe it 
 to our learning, to our benevolence, to our comparative 
 wealth, to our position in society, to our personal talent 
 in preaching, but we do not owe it to the simple fact 
 that we are representatives of Him Who saves, and that 
 we are entrusted by Him with the means of salvation. 
 
 This fact people are unable to realise. Once, indeed, 
 they did, but the idea is in a great measure lost, — not by 
 
 B 
 
2 ON CONFIRMATION. 
 
 any sudden revolution^ not by any process of reasonings 
 not by any definite conviction, but by the mere force of 
 habit. The commissioned Minister of Christ ceased 
 gradually to present himself before the eyes of the people 
 in his character of Ambassador ; gradually therefore did 
 the idea fade from their minds, — slowly it faded, but it 
 did fade. Their conception of the character had been 
 produced, not by inductions of reasoning, which they 
 were incapable of appreciating, — not by the words of the 
 Bible, which they might or might not comprehend, — but 
 by the facts before their eyes. Their parish Priest once 
 felt as one having authority, and taught as one having 
 authority. They also felt it ; they did not reason about 
 it — that most of them were incapable of doing — but took 
 it for granted, and therefore could not regard him as one 
 of the Scribes. Of the Apostolic Succession in so many 
 words they probably had not even heard, but so long as 
 the Priest comported himself among them as if he him- 
 self felt that he was unquestionably and undeniably the 
 Steward of God^s Mysteries, that is to say, the autho- 
 rised dispenser of His means of grace; the unreasoning 
 many received him as such, while the reasoning few would 
 hail the Apostolical definition, when they met with it in 
 the Bible, not as a new light to which, for the first time, 
 they were to accustom their eyes, but as a simple and 
 satisfactory confirmation of an idea already preconceived. 
 
 The doctrine was and is the true doctrine of the Bible. 
 Eubrical niceties were the means by which that doctrine 
 was presented to the minds of the vulgar; and there- 
 fore, when these niceties were neglected, the doctrine 
 itself, though in reality unchanged, in practice became 
 unfamiliar, obsolete, and forgotten. 
 
 For instance, it might or might not have been of im- 
 portance, in any one given instance, that the people 
 should do as they were directed by the Prayer Book-7- 
 should present themselves to their parish Priest before 
 receiving the Holy Communion, in order that he might 
 determine whether they were or were not in a fit state 
 to receive it; but when habitually they ceased to do so, 
 and he still continued to admit them to the Lord's Table 
 
AS A MEANS OF REGAINING OUR PEOPLE. 3 
 
 indiscriminately, they lost first tlie idea that lie was 
 really the dispenser of the means of grace, and secondly 
 that those were means of grace which he dispensed. 
 The fact remained the same. Then, as formerly, it was 
 the true Word of God, but the people had ceased to 
 realise it as a fact, because they had ceased to see it. 
 
 Still, an idea like this, based on truth and supported 
 by habit and association, is not lost at once ; it requires 
 time, years, generations perhaps, to divest the mind of it. 
 Thanks be to God, it is not entirely lost yet ; its outlines 
 remain, though they are but faint and indistinct. But 
 as no part of it was lost by any assertion or process of 
 reasoning, so it is not by any assertion or process of rea- 
 soning that it can be restored. It required years to lose 
 it ; it will require years to regain it. We must seek 
 again the humble means which we have despised — we 
 must treasure up the few fragments of Divine authority 
 that still remain to us, and upon them we must build 
 again the dilapidated edifice of Christ^s Church. Suffi- 
 cient for us it is that we do our duty ; we cannot expect 
 to see the results — we cannot hope, in the few years of 
 our lives, to restore the decay of centuries. Our reward 
 here will be the consciousness of having done our duty : 
 others may reap the fruits ; sufficient for us that the 
 Lord shows His servants their work, we may leave our 
 children to see His glory. 
 
 It is upon these grounds that, in the present times^ the 
 office of Confirmation is peculiarly valuable, — valuable, 
 I mean, beyond its own value as a means of grace, for it 
 is one of the few points in our office in which we have 
 not entirely thrown aside the indications of the priestly 
 character, — one of the few instances in which tradition 
 is in our favour, — one of the few fragments on which we 
 may rebuild. It may seem a thing strange and unfa- 
 miliar to the minds of our people, that we require them 
 to resort to us in their spiritual difficulties with respect 
 to the LoRD^s Supper, — that we ask them to " open their 
 grief,^^ — that we offer them '^ the benefits of absolution, 
 together with ghostly counsel and advice to the quieting 
 of their conscience ;'^ but it is neither strange, nor un- 
 
 b2 
 
4 ON CONFIRMATION. 
 
 usual_, nor repugnant to their feelings and habits^ that 
 we require the young to attend upon our ministry, that 
 we examine them carefully and at large on their faith 
 and their duty, that we correct and reprove their falling 
 away in both particulars, and then, having subjected 
 them to a definite and steady and lengthened course of 
 preparation, that we either present them personally to 
 the Bishop to receive the grace of Confirmation, or de- 
 clare, in virtue of the office committed to us at our or- 
 dination, that we consider them unfit recipients of hea- 
 venly power. Here, then, is a beginning — here is a 
 locus standi — here is at least one legitimate exercise of 
 our office not entirely neglected by ourselves, and not 
 entirely forgotten and repudiated by our people : and if 
 we lose this hold upon them — nay, if we do not improve 
 upon it — if we suffer the legitimate influence over the 
 consciences of each individual so admitted and so ac- 
 quired to die away — the blame will rest not with our 
 predecessors, but with ourselves. 
 
 But, besides being the means for establishing a hold 
 upon the consciences of the catechumens, this system of 
 preparation may easily be made a step towards improv- 
 ing the Churches influence over those of others. 
 
 This may not be done, and cannot be done effectually 
 by any plan or system of our own devising, because it is 
 not our own influence as individuals that we are called 
 upon to establish or confirm, but that of the Church ; it 
 is therefore her plans and her system that we must work 
 with, and the work must be carried on by the tools she 
 puts into our hands. 
 
 A conscientious clergyman, receiving notice of a con- 
 firmation from the Bishop, will contemplate, with some- 
 thing like dismay, the work that lies before him; he 
 reflects that he has at least some seventy or eighty young 
 men and young women to prepare, most of whom have 
 left school at so very early an age, that the whole work 
 of education must well nigh be begun afresh ; he knows 
 that, besides his legitimate duty as priest of preparing 
 their consciences, it will be necessary that he discharge 
 also the office of schoolmaster in enlightening their 
 
USES OF SPONSORS. 5 
 
 minds and understandings ; all this he has generally to 
 do alone and nnaided. 
 
 But why should he work alone ? Has not the Church 
 herself appointed him fellow workers in these duties ? 
 "Who was it whom he himself once charged solemnly to 
 remember, that forasmuch as these very catechumens 
 now coming for Confirmation had promised " by them 
 their sureties,, to renounce the world, the flesh, and the 
 devil, it was their parts and duties ^' — that is to say, the 
 parts and duties of the sureties, not of the baptizing 
 Priest — ^^ to see that these children be taught, so soon 
 as they shall be able to learn, what a solemn vow, pro- 
 mise, and profession they then made by them/^ And 
 how were they to do it ? By calling upon them to " hear 
 sermons -'* by providing that they should '^ learn the 
 Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments, 
 and all other things which a Christian ought to know and 
 believe to his souFs health'^ — and not only this, but 
 they were to watch over their conduct, their morals, and 
 behaviour — they were to see that they are virtuously 
 brought up to lead a godly and a Christian life. We 
 complain day after day in our sermons, that the duties 
 of godfathers and godmothers are neglected and for- 
 gotten ; that men and women stand up in the Church 
 Sunday after Sunday, and take upon themselves, before 
 God and the congregation, the most momentous of 
 duties, that of guiding baptized souls to eternity, and 
 that they do it without the smallest idea of performing 
 what they promise. Whose fault is this ? Do we seek 
 them out ? do we call upon them to perform the duties 
 they have undertaken ? do we urge them day by day to 
 help the education, to watch over the morals of those 
 they have promised to guide, to be a comfort and aid to 
 the parents ? nay, for our own parts, (with all this work 
 before us,) do we once turn our thoughts to these god- 
 fathers and godmothers, and call upon them now to fulfil 
 the vow and promise which they made ? If we do not, 
 we have not fulfilled our duties to the godfathers and 
 godmothers themselves, how then can we complain that 
 they have not fulfilled theirs towards their charges ? 
 
6 
 
 ON CONFIRMATION. 
 
 The Churcli ha^ not forgotten this ; the Church directs 
 that so soon as children are come to a competent age^ and 
 can say in their mother tongue the Greedy the Lord^s 
 Prayer_, and the Ten Commandments_, and can also 
 answer the other questions of the Catechism_, they shall 
 be brought to the Bishop^ and every one shall have a 
 godfather or godmother as witness of their Confirmation. 
 How many of us have availed ourselves of this ? How 
 many of us have ever even asked our catechumens who 
 were their godfathers and godmothers? whether they 
 were still alive ? whether they resided in the parish ? and 
 in case they did notj or were not forthcoming, how many 
 of us have thought of searching out some discreet and 
 pious communicant among our own parishioners, and 
 requesting him or her to undertake the office of godfather 
 or godmother, to superintend the preparation of the 
 catechumen in morals, as well as in instruction, and to 
 be a witness of the Confirmation? If we have not 
 done this, then we have not availed ourselves of the 
 means still in our power. We have not earned a right to 
 complain of our predecessors^ negligence and disregard of 
 Church ordinances, till our consciences stand fully ab- 
 solved from a neglect and a disregard peculiarly our own.^ 
 What is the use of this ? In most cases are not god- 
 fathers and godmothers fully as ignorant of the doctrines 
 of salvation as the catechumens they are undertaking to 
 instruct ? Yes, fully, more so — in these days of schools 
 and parochial education far more so — but what then ? 
 In the first place, what right have we, sworn servants of 
 the Church, to ask what is the use of this or that ordi- 
 nance which, in accepting her orders, we have engaged 
 to perform ? What right have we to carry out, or neg- 
 lect, according to our own private judgment of its utility, 
 that which is ordered by the Church? 
 
 ^ Anciently the Confirmation sponsors might not be the same as the 
 Baptismal, probably because when Confirmation followed closely upon 
 Baptism, as must have been the case with adults, the one set of sponsors 
 were required as a check upon the other, but no such ride exists in the 
 Enghsh Church now, and therefore there is no reason why the baptismal 
 sponsor should not be encouraged to extend his supervision until he 
 present his catechumen to the Bishop for Confirmation. 
 
USES OF SPONSORS. 7 
 
 But^ in the second place,, it has its use ; every ordinance 
 of the Church has its use, if fully and faithfully carried 
 out, and adapted with discretion to the needs of the case 
 — we mutilate, we misapply them, in our untrained igno- 
 rance we render them useless, and then reject them be- 
 cause they are but what we ourselves have made them. 
 Is learning, is knowing our duty the only or even the 
 principal part of our catechumen^ s preparation ? Do we 
 not mistake theory for practice, mind for soul, under- 
 standing for conscience, knowledge for duty? Our 
 Saviour^ s words are not — '^ Happy are ye if ye know 
 these things'^ — but "if ye know these things, happy 
 are ye if ye do them.^^ It is not therefore a learned 
 godfather or godmother that we want, but a conscientious 
 one; not one who will explain the articles of faith — 
 that we can do ourselves — but one who will do what we 
 cannot, who will see them carried daily and hourly into 
 practice. We often hear complaints about the disorders 
 which take place at confirmations, when so many young 
 people meet together ; would it not be as well for us to 
 reflect that, had all these young persons been provided, 
 as the Church directs, with a godfather or godmother as 
 a witness to their confirmation, few or none of these 
 disorders could have taken place ? 
 
 So soon therefore as we hear of a confirmation, our 
 duty is to seek out first the godfathers and godmothers 
 of our catechumens, to inquire of them the character 
 which their charges have borne, since the time they 
 left the parish school, and were, to a certain extent, re- 
 moved from our immediate inspection, their general be- 
 haviour, the character they bear now, and their peculiar 
 habits and dispositions. 
 
 Having selected witnesses, it then becomes the Par- 
 son^s duty to lay down for their use, simple rules for the 
 preparation of their chargers conscience ; to point out and 
 explain a certain course of prayers, psalms, and hymns, 
 which he may think necessary ; to mark in the catechu- 
 men^ s own Bible that particular course of reading which 
 he may think applicable generally to the office of confir- 
 mation, and particularly to the special character and 
 
8 ON CONFIRMATION. 
 
 disposition of tlie catechumen himself, and to note that 
 course in his own note-book under the catechumen's 
 name.i 
 
 The witness must then be asked when and at what 
 times it will be convenient for him to bring his charge 
 to the Parson^ s house^ or to such place as the Parson may 
 appoint for individual conferences ; not that it will be 
 necessary_, or even advisable, that he should attend every 
 time. In many cases, and more especially in those of 
 young men, the presence of a third person would prove 
 a check upon the confidential communications between 
 the parson and his catechumen ; still he should attend 
 occasionally, in order that he may receive his own direc- 
 tions from time to time for the better guidance of his 
 charge. He should be permitted also, and encouraged 
 to attend the class lectures, and, of course, the general 
 lectures and sermons in the church. This would obviate 
 many an inconvenience, not to say impropriety, in the 
 case of females who are not able to leave their daily 
 work till after night-fall. 
 
 Neither is it of any material consequence that the wit- 
 ness be unlearned and unable to instruct — that is not 
 his business — the Parson and his Curate will be able to 
 do that, both at the class lectures and at the private con- 
 ferences. His business is to superintend, to see that the 
 Parson^s instructions be carried out, and above all, to 
 take diligent care lest the course of grace be checked, and 
 the Divine blessing rendered ineffectual by any levity, 
 heedlessness, or sin on the part of the catechumen. He 
 will, of course, from time to time, make his report to 
 the Parson, to whom it will be an excellent guide in his 
 
 1 And here let it be observed, that though for certain reasons connected 
 with the symboHsm of the rite, the Church does not permit the sponsor- 
 ship of the father or mother in the office of Baptism, in that of Confirma- 
 tion this prohibition by no means holds good — in one sense of the ex- 
 pression the parents are the natural sponsors of the child. At theh* 
 marriage they enter into a sort of covenant, that if God should give 
 them children, and prolong their days, they will see those children 
 christianly and virtuously brought up — they, as well as the godparents, 
 then are entrusted in the vmdertaking, and may, equally with them, be 
 called upon to witness the completion of their work. 
 
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. 9 
 
 subsequent counsels. Should the witness himself have 
 forgotten the Articles of his faith^ or the requirements 
 of his duty^ the office which he has undertaken will recal 
 them to his mind. Should he never have learned them 
 he may learn them now. It is notorious that a school 
 monitor learns more by teaching than by studying him- 
 self; and, at all events, he will be more firmly attached 
 than ever to the Church in whose work he has himself 
 assisted. 
 
 But we have a duty to perform before we have the an- 
 nouncement of a Confirmation ; we have a duty which 
 ought never to cease — that of keeping up between our- 
 selves and our catechumens the relations which we have 
 established with them at school; we are jealous, and 
 iightly so, about foreign interference with the education 
 of our people ; we claim it, and justly claim it, as an office 
 especially entrusted by Christ to the stewards of His 
 mysteries, but we should remember, that in all classes, 
 and in the lower classes especially, school is but the be- 
 ginning of education. Church education, in the proper 
 sense of the term, is the preparing of baptized Christians 
 for that state of life to which God has called them. The 
 education of the labourer therefore must necessarily be 
 carried on in the fields as well as the school-room, and it 
 is unavoidable, except in particular cases, that our child- 
 ren leave our school, and our immediate superintendence, 
 at the age of twelve or thirteen at the latest. Practically, 
 however, our superintendence ceases much earlier than 
 that. Taking one school with another, and taking the 
 average time of attendance, two years and nine months 
 is the length of a chHd^s education ; and as the average 
 of children enter school at the age of six or seven, at the 
 age of nine or ten their school time ceases; in fact, a 
 labourer's child completes his education (using the term 
 in its popular sense) at the time when a child from the 
 higher classes begins his. 
 
 If, therefore, nothing beyond the parish school is done 
 
 towards building up the faith of our catechumens, and 
 
 upon their faith training them in the paths of their duty, 
 
 it is a fiction to say that the education of the country is 
 
 B 3 
 
10 ON CONFIRMATION. 
 
 in the "hands of the Church. It is in vain to imagine that 
 instruction^ however sound or good,, can hold its impress 
 on minds so unformed^ built up though they may be upon 
 the sure Word of God, and in connexion with the true 
 teaching of the Church. It is, no doubt, as Mr. Tinling 
 observes, '^ the seed of great things cast into the ground :'' 
 but if this is all that can be done for it, it can hardly fail 
 to be choked by the thorns and briars of the world, nor 
 can it reasonably be expected to bring its fruit to perfec- 
 tion. We will not doubt but that it may, and by God^s 
 blessing often does, shoot forth in after days, and bear 
 its fruit to life eternal, but in this after growth the Church 
 has little or no hand; it is the almost spontaneous fruit 
 of baptismal grace, for it has been deprived of the training 
 of the Church at the very time when the training of the 
 Church was most necessary for it. 
 
 What notion of the Church's distinctive doctrines is 
 it possible to give to a child of ten years old ? what ideas 
 on the sin of schism, on the mysteries of the Sacraments ? 
 on the unseen grace of ordination and apostolic succes- 
 sion ? what distinction can there be in his mind between 
 the Church and the meeting-house, between the Parson 
 of the parish and the schismatic preacher, beyond the 
 mere charm of childish associations ? 
 
 And does not this account entirely for the peculiar 
 character of English dissent in the nineteenth century ? 
 It is not bigoted ; it is not fanatical ; there is no zeal, 
 no energy about it ; it is as different from the stern de- 
 termination of the Scotch covenanters, and the wild, yet 
 earnest fanaticism of the English independents, as one 
 thing can be from another. It is the dissent of Indiffe- 
 rentism. A man wanders from church to chapel, from 
 chapel to meeting-house, and back again to church, 
 without cause or object, without one distinct idea of 
 doctrine, or one definite reason. He leaves the Church 
 because he likes the meeting-house better ; he deserts 
 the ambassador of Christ, the steward of the means of 
 his salvation, and follows for the time some teacher of 
 his own selection, for no better reason than convenience 
 or private pique, or personal friendship. And where does 
 
DIFFICULTIES IN THE WAY OF IT. 11 
 
 the fault lie ? Surely in the Churchy wHch has been 
 satisfied with the teaching of the parish school^ which 
 has never given her children a hold or stay for their faith^ 
 and has allowed them to grow up under her eye^ tossed 
 about by every wave of conflicting doctrines. It is the 
 fault of the Church — not^ indeed,, exclusively of the 
 Clergy — for " all fathers^ mothers^ mastersj and dames^ 
 are bound to cause their children^ servants^ and appren- 
 tices, to come to the Church at the time appointed, and 
 obediently to hear and to be ordered by the Curate, until 
 such times as they have learned all that is here appointed 
 for them to learn ; that is to say, not the words of the 
 Catechism only, but the doctrines of the Catechism, the 
 summary of the Christian religion, and of the Churches 
 teaching. The whole English Church is in fault in this 
 matter, laity as well as clergy, but the blame lies heaviest 
 on us, who, being ministers and of&cers of the Church, 
 do not, day after day, press her requirements on the 
 ears of her careless and disobedient children. 
 
 In this case, as in the last, the root of the error lies in 
 our own neglect of the Church's ordinances. She pro- 
 vides ample means to meet this emergency, and to bring 
 her children to Confirmation as Christians and as Church- 
 men. We, her sworn servants, exercise om- private judg- 
 ment, and, because we do not happen to see the peculiar 
 fitness of her injunctions, have allowed them to become 
 forgotten and obsolete. We are unable now to restore 
 it, because such restoration requires the co-operation of 
 our laity, and we cannot at once impress their minds 
 with its importance. We have ourselves produced our 
 own difficulties, and we may lament, but why should we 
 wonder at the effects of what we ourselves have caused ? 
 
 It is, however, idle, and worse than idle, to indulge in 
 regrets for a state of things passed away ; our duty is, 
 not to regret, but to restore, and till we are able to do 
 this fully and completely, our duty is to do our utmost 
 to avail ourselves of the means still in our hands. Much 
 may be done to interest even the farmer, and the trades- 
 man in the schools. There is no reason why we are to 
 confine our attention to those appropriated exclusively to 
 
12 ON CONFIRMATION. 
 
 the working classes, nor why the middle school should 
 be denied our superintendence. In truth the class of 
 farmers and tradesmen have just grounds to be jealous ; 
 their interests are neglected in the daily ministration. 
 We must laboar_, therefore, to remove that jealousy. 
 
 Avarice, as well as jealousy, is a passion belonging to 
 human nature, — it is difficult to remove it in any case, 
 but more especially difficult where we by long neglect 
 have permitted custom to confirm and render habitual 
 a dereliction of duty. No doubt the farmer, by employ- 
 ing children, and abandoning them when they grow up 
 to habits of idleness, is not only endangering the souls 
 of our catechumens, but is ruining his own succession of 
 labourers. Still we can hardly expect farmers to be so 
 long-sighted and conscientious as to give a shilling for 
 that which they imagine they can get for sixpence. But 
 there is no reason why we may not ask them to apply to 
 our school-masters for their working children, to be sent 
 to them in parties, and for a limited time, according to 
 a fixed roster, to be returned to the school, and relieved 
 by other parties of children, whose turn it is to do the 
 field work, and thus to render our school what is called 
 an industrial school. 
 
 In this manner we may retain our catechumens for 
 a much longer period under our own inspection, and 
 shorten — perhaps do away with entirely — their period 
 of compulsory idleness. The parents will have no wish 
 to remove them, and the employers will, by degrees, 
 be brought to work with us instead of against. 
 
 By such methods as these, we may hope ultimately to 
 restore our lost influence not only over our catechumens, 
 but over their employers and their parents. This, how- 
 ever, is a work of time and patience. Let us examine 
 the means which at this present moment lie ready to our 
 use. There are the evening and Sunday schools. I 
 speak of these as means already in our hands, not that 
 they are generally perfect, not that they do not in most 
 instances require arrangement and adaptation before 
 they can be made available, but because both the name, 
 and the thing itself, is familiar to our people, and, in 
 
SUNDAY SCHOOLS. 13 
 
 modifying tliem to our purposes^ we liave no prejudices 
 to contend against. 
 
 With respect to the Sunday-school, one great and 
 fatal mistake arises from our making no distinction be- 
 tween a Sunday and a weekday school. A weekday school 
 is work, and it is wholesome that it should be considered 
 in that light by the children. The Sunday-school is en- 
 joyment. To the one they should go because it is their 
 duty, to the other, because it is their pleasure. Our 
 object in the two cases is different, our treatment should 
 be different also. In both cases, no doubt, we have to 
 teach them their duty ; but their principal duty on the 
 Lord's day is not so much to go to the House of the 
 Lord, as to be ^^ glad when we say unto them. Let us go 
 into the House of the Lord." To school at nine, to 
 church at eleven, to school again at half-past one, to 
 church at three, with possibly more school, and more 
 church in the evening, is to desecrate the Lord's day 
 in the minds of the children, by associating it with the 
 hardest and most disagreeable work they have to do in 
 the whole week. We may teach them thereby the Creed, 
 the Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments, but 
 not to love God, nor to seek God, nor to do His will on 
 earth as it is done in heaven. 
 
 There should be no morning school on Sundays, and, 
 in the summer at least, no evening school. School-time 
 should be for the most part confined within the limits 
 specified by the Canon, between the morning and after- 
 noon services. In the morning those who have been la- 
 bouring all the week have quite enough to do to rest and 
 prepare themselves for church ; in the evening, the whole 
 of the labouring class, the children especially, are far 
 better employed in their own relaxations. But between 
 the services, there is one hour and a half clear, which 
 may very profitably be employed, in keeping up in the 
 minds of our catechumens a sense of their responsibili- 
 ties. The Sunday class should be as different as we can 
 make it from a school, and we should carefully guard 
 against any possibility of its being used as a substitute 
 for it. No child should be admitted into it under the 
 
14 ON CONFIRMATION. 
 
 age of twelve at tlie very lowest : reading-books^ copy- 
 books^ and slates — all tbe paraphernalia of a school — 
 should be carefully put away : those portions of Scrip- 
 ture which it is necessary to read should be read as a 
 privilege by the best and most distinct readers^ so that 
 by no possibility the Sunday class could be degraded 
 into a reading lesson. 
 
 But though the reading of passages of Scripture may 
 at times be necessary, generally speaking, instruction 
 should be conveyed by word of mouth, and should be 
 made as attractive and entertaining as possible. The 
 conversational and catechetical form should be freely 
 used ; the catechumens should be encouraged to express 
 their own opinions, and to take an active part in the 
 business, so that they may be led to seek their class as a 
 pleasure, rather than be driven to it as a duty. If the 
 latter be the only mo\ing power, we shall soon lose our 
 hold over them, and they will drop away, one by one, 
 just at the very age when it is most necessary to retain 
 them. 
 
 If we can possibly command an adequate supply of 
 Sunday teaching, the classes should never be large — 
 eight or ten will be as many as an ordinary teacher will 
 generally manage to interest ; wherever the class greatly 
 exceeds that number, we are very likely to find some 
 of the party inattentive and listless. And, in truth, 
 Sunday-school teaching is a work to which the laity take 
 very kindly ; it is one, too, in which they should always 
 meet with encouragement from the parson, for there are 
 few occupations which tend to keep alive a sound catho- 
 lic feeling in a parish more completely than the recipro- 
 cities of Sunday teaching. 
 
 The Sundays themselves should be made to point out 
 the general course of instruction, for while their Epis- 
 tles and Gospels, taken as a whole, form a complete 
 course of theology, their collects are as complete a sys- 
 tem of prayer adapted to every part of it. Such an 
 arrangement will produce uniformity among the diffe- 
 rent teachers, and will enable the parson to unite the 
 classes occasionally for a general lecture, or when he 
 
EVENING SCHOOLS. 15 
 
 may think fit_, to \dsit and inspect tliem ; but^ having 
 arranged their general course^ he will do well to leave 
 the details to be worked out by the individual teachers 
 independently^ without impairing their interest by re- 
 gulations unnecessarily strict and unbending. 
 
 The Sunday-school^ though it may to a certain de- 
 gree be made available for both sexes, will generally be 
 found more convenient for girls, whom, for obvious rea- 
 sons, it would be unadvisable to admit in the evening 
 school which is held on the week-days : this last, on 
 the other hand, is much better adapted to the needs of 
 apprentices and farmers^ boys. 
 
 It is useless to attempt this description of school in 
 the summer. While the evenings are light, and the 
 weather fine, young men and boys are quite as well 
 employed elsewhere : there is extra work on the farms, 
 by which a few shillings may be earned, and home-work 
 in their gardens, and even the cricket-ground, which, in 
 its way, is quite as useful as the school. But in the 
 winter the evening-school is as great a blessing as can 
 be accorded to a parish ; few young men seek the pub- 
 lic-house from vice ; they seek it for warmth, for com- 
 pany, to relieve themselves from the wearisomeness of a 
 long dark evening. Anything therefore which gives 
 them occupation is in itself a blessing. Such a school 
 as this must, however, be necessarily self-supporting, or 
 nearly so ; few parish priests of the present day have 
 sufficient influence over the young men of their flocks 
 to be able to admit them to an evening school gratui- 
 tously. If the scholars do not feel that they are exer- 
 cising some degree of self-denial in paying for their 
 schooling,— if they are not fully sensible that they must 
 get their money^s worth for their money, the teacher 
 will find it very difficult indeed either to keep up their 
 attention or to secure their regular attendance. 
 
 If in the Sunday-school the teaching is mostly oral, 
 and entirely of a religious character, in this it should 
 be school-like, formal, and mostly secular. The writing- 
 book and the summing-slate are in their proper place 
 here ; the young men are induced to come in the first 
 
16 ON CONFIRMATION. 
 
 instance in order that they may what they call im- 
 prove their learning ; they should have what they come 
 for; the half-honr^s instruction on religious matters^ 
 with which the parson himself may conclude the sit- 
 ting_, will, if properly employed, be found quite sufii- 
 cient for the purpose on ordinary occasions, and for spe- 
 cial cases a class of boys or young men may easily be 
 added to the Sunday-school. 
 
 There is some difficulty about providing teachers for 
 this description of school. It is not the province of the 
 parson nor of the curate to teach in it ; its secular con- 
 stitution and the necessity of exacting payment forbids 
 this ; the parson^s business is to superintend, direct, and 
 visit, taking only to himself that small portion of the 
 teaching which may be considered as a direct prepara- 
 tion for Confirmation; if he exceeds this, he impairs 
 his own influence. Neither is it the province of the 
 national schoolmaster : on no consideration should he 
 be permitted to undertake it. " I confess," says Mose- 
 ley, " that it has always appeared to me unreasonable to 
 require of the schoolmaster this labour. I believe, that 
 in the majority of cases it would be prejudicial to his 
 health, and that in all it would seriously impair his 
 usefulness in the school ; that is to say, his own school." 
 The utmost that ought to be required of the school- 
 master is, that he should take his turn with the parson 
 and curate in visiting and inspecting. This difficulty of 
 finding schoolmasters arises in a great measure from our 
 own neglect in availing ourselves of the means which 
 the Church places in our hands. In most parishes there 
 is a small salary allotted to the maintenance of a clerk 
 or sexton, or both, and in most parishes these two 
 officers are very useless individuals, so far as their own 
 offices are concerned ; the latter especially, whose duties 
 are so invariably merged in the office of gravedigger, 
 that few people ever think of him in the light of a sacris- 
 tan at all. Why are not these persons to be associated 
 in the parochial college as teachers ? The proper office 
 of the clerk is that of precentor. As there are few 
 young men who may not be interested and drawn toge- 
 
EVENING SCHOOLS. 17 
 
 iher by music^ a portion of the evening school-time may 
 very properly be set apart for it_, and the clerk_, if chosen 
 with judgment^ might easily be made the musical 
 teacher. So also the sexton_, whose duties in the vestry, 
 as sacristan, are now very light, might, if selected ac- 
 cording to his qualifications, hold in connection with his 
 office that of evening schoolmaster ; and the parochial 
 salaries of both these officials, thus eked out by the 
 payments of the scholars, and perhaps added to by some 
 little contribution from the parson and his richer pa- 
 rishioners, would in most cases be sufficient to procure 
 the services of competent persons. ^ 
 
 This expedient appears to ofifer a means which, if judi- 
 ciously employed, would not only promote morality and 
 religion, and diffuse knowledge and intelligence among 
 the labouring classes, but would attach them more 
 closely to the Church, by whose officers and under 
 whose discipline they are conducted from childhood to 
 maturity — from Baptism to Confirmation. 
 
 These are some of the obstacles which surround a 
 priest preparing his flock for Confirmation, and these are 
 some of the means by which these obstacles may be met, 
 and in many cases overcome. But we must not forget 
 that they are, after all, only preparatory measures — 
 only methods for retaining the Church's influence over 
 the younger part of our flock during the time which 
 must necessarily elapse between leaving school and re- 
 ceiving the grace of Confirmation. They by no means 
 supersede the necessity of a special preparation when 
 the announcement of the rite has been made by the 
 Bishop. It must never be forgotten that the preparation 
 necessary to a right reception of it is one of conscience 
 as well as one of intellect. The most perfect arrange- 
 ment of Sunday and evening schools will in no way 
 
 ^ In schools where apprenticed teachers are allowed by Grovernment 
 these may be employed in this manner very beneficially to themselves as 
 well as to others. In such cases the parson will do well not to be too 
 fussy and interfering ; it is a good thing to give a young man an idea of 
 " his own school," — his own private institution — and if he cannot be 
 trusted to do that when in his fourth or fifth year he ought never to 
 have been selected for a pupil teacher at all. 
 
18 ON CONriRMATION. 
 
 diminisli tlie labour of the parson during that period ; 
 what it will do is^ enable him to discharge the duties 
 which will then devolve upon him with greater profit to 
 his catechumens^ and greater satisfaction to himself. 
 
 And at this point new difficulties, fresh obstacles beset 
 him ; but these are of a difi'erent kind from any which 
 we have been hitherto considering, for as the former 
 proceed generally from his parishioners, these are occa- 
 sioned mostly by his Diocesan, 
 
 Bishops select invariably the summer months for hold- 
 ing their Confirmations, and as invariably interfere with 
 either haying, or barking, or corn-harvest, or hopping, 
 or fruit-picking, some one or other of the necessary and 
 periodical labours of rural life. This will not afi'ect every 
 catechumen alike, for in all cases, some are more and some 
 are less engaged in these labours ; nor will it afi'ect every 
 parish alike, one or other of these harvests will always 
 take precedence of the rest in importance, according as 
 the parish is pastoral, or agricultural, or woodland, or 
 situated in a hop or cider country ; still in almost every 
 rural parish some portion of the catechumens are so 
 employed throughout the summer, and, so far as that 
 portion is concerned, preparation to any useful purpose 
 is morally, if not physically, impossible. The harvest, 
 of whatever kind it is, comes on, the work cannot be 
 delayed to meet the convenience of the Bishop, the 
 corn is ripe, it must be reaped and housed, the sap is up, 
 the tree must be cut and barked, the weather is fine, the 
 hay must be made — in nine cases out of ten the la- 
 bourer, and this includes the farmer^ s sons as well as his 
 servants, exhausted with his day^s work, returns late, 
 eats his supper, and throws himself on his bed to re- 
 cruit mind and body for the labours of another day — 
 and in the tenth instance, where zeal, and religion, and 
 a sense of duty prevail over natural infirmity, he comes 
 to the Parson willing but weary, ready in mind but ex- 
 hausted in body, keeping himself awake only by an efibrt, 
 and totally unable to fix his thoughts on anything 
 whatever. 
 
 Of course the reason why summer is selected as the 
 
DIFFICULTIES ARISING FROM HARVEST_, ETC. 19 
 
 time of Confirmation J arises from tiie simple fact_, that 
 that season is better suited for travelling ; nor is this to 
 be attributed entirely to inconsiderateness on the part 
 of the Bishop ; the actual day of Confirm ation_, which 
 is all that the Bishop sees or knows of the matter_, had 
 far better be a summer^s day — rain, and wind^ and snow^ 
 interfere very materially with its arrangements^ and 
 what is of far more importance, in a moral point of view, 
 daylight is necessary for the safe return of the inhabit- 
 ants of those parishes which are distant from the Church 
 in which the Confirmation is held. The Bishop judges 
 from what he sees, he cannot judge from what he neither 
 knows nor understands_, nor has had any experience 
 about, and few Bishops can understand, few ever hear 
 of even the difficulties which beset a parish Priest in 
 preparing his flock for Confirmation. As there is no 
 season so appropriate for Confirmation as Lent, so there 
 is no season so convenient. There is no harvest of any 
 consequence to interfere with it, and the lengthening 
 days give facilities for evening examinations which are 
 not to be met with at an earlier season of the year. 
 
 Selected as they mostly are from the universities or 
 from the public schools, few Bishops have any experience 
 in parish matters, and to this probably is attributable a 
 clause that is generally appended to every episcopal an- 
 nouncement of Confirmation, and which, if it were acted 
 upon, which it very seldom is, would form as great a diffi- 
 culty as any which a parish Priest can have to encounter. 
 
 This is a clause laying down definitely the age of the 
 catechumens that are to be admitted to Confirmation. 
 Now no man who has ever had the care of a parish, and 
 has turned his thoughts practically to the subject, can 
 possibly be unaware that there is no rule whatever to be 
 laid down on the subject, that there are no two cases pre- 
 cisely alike with respect to conscience, intellect, educa- 
 tion, circumstances, family connections ; and above all, 
 future prospects. There is nothing that requires more 
 thought, more time, more inquiries, and more considera- 
 tion, than fixing the age when the Parson shall advise any 
 particular member of his flock to apply for the confirm- 
 
20 ON CONFIRMATION. 
 
 ing grace ; how many cases are tliere in every Confirma- 
 tion where he will not take upon himself to determine 
 at all without a consultation with the parents or friends ? 
 how many catechumens will he have whom he knows 
 ought to be confirmed at the age of twelve ? and how 
 many more ought not to be confirmed at twenty? 
 
 The principle of Confirmation is this : — God^ having 
 regenerated and adopted His children^ gives them visible 
 guardians^ parents^ relations^ godfathers and godmothers 
 to protect and defend their childhood. When they draw 
 towards maturity _, and are called upon to go forth to 
 fight the battle of life, to encounter the dangers and 
 temptations of the worlds these visible guardians are, 
 for the most part, withdrawn from them by death or 
 distance ; or, if not withdrawn, their influence is di- 
 minished ; that period, therefore, whenever it occurs, is 
 the time when they must seek their strength from God. 
 Of course, therefore, that period must be difi^erent in dif- 
 ferent circumstances. Orphans, for instance, should be 
 confirmed on losing their parents, be their age what it may 
 — Gob, Who has taken away their \dsible guardians, must 
 be called upon to be their immediate guardian Himself. 
 But then there occurs another difficulty, the grace of Con- 
 firmation, like all other sacramental graces, is beneficial 
 or injurious, according to the state of mind in which it is 
 received. Ignorance is no bar to its beneficial reception, 
 unless that ignorance is wilful — but the consciousness of 
 sin is — and every individual case has to be sifted and in- 
 quired into, lest over- confidence should turn the grace of 
 God into a curse, or over-diffidence prevent the reception 
 of it. Here, therefore, are two variable elements — it is 
 impossible to say beforehand at what particular age a 
 given individual will be launched into the dangers and 
 temptations of the world ; and it is equally impossible to 
 define that at such a particular time his conscience will be 
 in a fit state for the reception of divine grace. The task 
 of determining this is not an easy one even for the Parson 
 residing on the spot, knowing the individual personally, 
 and having all the circumstances before him ; yet this 
 task a Bishop, who has neither seen, known, nor heard of 
 
THE PROPER AGE FOR CONFIRMATION. 31 
 
 the individual in question, will take confidently upon him- 
 selfj and decide upon, and will say ex cathedra, no one 
 under such an age shall be confirmed at all. To quote 
 the words of one, who, as a parish Priest, has few equals in 
 England : "The Bishop has omitted his own duty in con- 
 sulting the parish Priest as to the exigencies of his parish : 
 he resents as an insult any remonstrance ; his mandate 
 has been issued, and it is irrevocable ; and the poor pres- 
 byter consults with his weaker brother as to the precise 
 meaning to be attached to the injunction of the Church. 
 ^ Ye are to take care that this child be brought to the 
 Bishop to be confirmed by him, so soon as he can say the 
 Creed, the Lord^s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments 
 in the vulgar tongue, and be further instructed in the 
 Church Catechism set forth for that purpose.' ^ All these 
 things can be done by my poor child,^ says the weaker 
 brother, ^ why should he be deprived of his privileges ?' 
 The presbyter can only answer by recommending to him 
 in private the doctrine of passive obedience ; a doctrine 
 which he could not assert in public without exposing him- 
 self to the censure of the Bishop. Surely our Bishops, 
 who are bound to consult their presbyters, may at least 
 have such confidence in their judgments as to permit 
 them to decide on such a subject for themselves.'''^ 
 
 During the Confirmation held by the Bishop of Chi- 
 chester, in the year 1851, his Chaplain kept an account of 
 the numbers confirmed in all the different parishes, dis- 
 tinguishing the sexes, and was totally unable to account 
 for the fact, that in the country parishes the number of 
 males exceeded considerably the number of females, while 
 in the towns, the proportions were invariably reversed. 
 The fact may easily be accounted for, but in a way which 
 shows how very inadequately the present system of Con- 
 firmation fulfils the purposes for which that rite was in- 
 stituted by the Apostles. In country parishes most 
 parents endeavour to send their girls to service at the 
 earliest possible age ; many of them find situations even 
 before they attain their thirteenth or fourteenth year ; 
 but as the families requiring servants, and more especially 
 
 ^ Presbyterian Eights. 
 
22 ON CONFIRMATION. 
 
 that description of servants^ reside mostly in towns, these 
 girls must necessarily leave their friends, connexions, 
 minister, all who have hitherto guided and protected them, 
 at the age when they are most liable to temptations, and 
 thus they enter into life in a situation more than any 
 other exposed to them, that of girl of all work, in a hum- 
 ble family living in the outskirts of a large town. If 
 one individual more than another requires the special aid 
 of GoD^s protecting hand, it is a girl placed in such a 
 situation as this, and she is the person especially deprived 
 of this grace, because she has not reached the Bishop's 
 specified age. It may be said that the masters and mis- 
 tresses may be considered the guardians of this servant, 
 and thus may stand in the place of parents. Thankful 
 ought we to be that this is frequently the case ; but even 
 under these favourable circumstances, which are the ex- 
 ceptions rather than the rule, these strangers are precisely 
 the catechumens which their new Priest must needs find 
 the greatest difficulty in giving a satisfactory account of 
 — they are strangers to him, he knows nothing of their 
 dispositions, or family connexions — he is a stranger to 
 them, and they are invariably shy and backward with him. 
 They have no confidence in him, they can have none, they 
 have never conversed with him as children, they have 
 never seen him except in church, it is seldom too that 
 they can be spared, even by conscientious families, in 
 many they will not be spared at aU ; the town Parson, 
 already overwhelmed with the work which properly be- 
 longs to him, has these in addition thrown upon his hands 
 — it is impossible that he can have time to attend to them, 
 he knows that it will take twice as long to prepare them, 
 as it would any of his own particular flock, because he 
 must first become acquainted with them, and the inevit- 
 able consequence is, that he does not attempt it, that he 
 asks a few questions, gives a few exhortations, signs their 
 ticket for admission, and then sees his catechumens no 
 more. But this is not the worst : deprived by their 
 Bishop's regulations of the strengthening grace of God, 
 they have in many cases already yielded to the tempta- 
 tions that beset them; their characters are far deteriorated 
 
THE PROPER AGE FOR CONFIRMATION. 23 
 
 from what they were when they left their own homes and 
 their own parish Priest^ and the heavenly Visitant finds 
 hearts which once were ready for His reception^ but have 
 now ceased to be so. The Priest^ an utter stranger_, has 
 neither time nor opportunity for detecting this, and 
 pointing out the only method of again preparing to re- 
 ceive Him^ that is to say, an immediate and sincere 
 course of penitence. The pass ticket is lightly given^ 
 the Bishop^ s hands are laid upon the head, the Divine 
 blessing is received in a heart utterly unprepared for it, 
 and the blessing is turned into a curse. 
 
 Where lies the fault ? In the Bishop, who, in the 
 first place, holds his Confirmations triennially, taking 
 the minimum allowed as his maximum, and having done 
 so, limits the reception of the Divine blessing to a par- 
 ticular age. 
 
 The remedy to this is simple. The responsibility be- 
 longs to the Bishop, and on the Bishop's shoulders it 
 should be thrown. He has a full right, if he so pleases, 
 to investigate any particular case presented to him by the 
 Parson of the parish, and (if he think fit) to reverse his 
 decision ; but^ if he does so, he assumes the whole of the 
 responsibility himself. The parish Priest, therefore, who 
 has any respect for his own conscience, will utterly disre- 
 gard all general and sweeping directions which his supe- 
 rior has no right to give; he will judge each case him- 
 self on its own merits, taking notes of what he has done, 
 and his reasons for doing it : he will present those cate- 
 chumens whom he has selected, as, to the best of his 
 judgment, fit recipients of Divine grace. Should the 
 Bishop think fit to reject them, the Parson will state his 
 reasons in writing. Should the Bishop still maintain 
 his objection, the Parson^s conscience will be clear, and 
 the responsibility will rest where it ought. There is a 
 right of decision in the Bishop as well as the power, for 
 the Parish Priest may have erred in his estimate of fit- 
 ness, but a responsibility there is also. What the amount 
 of the responsibility may be, should the catechumen so 
 presented be then fit, and afterwards, by reason of not 
 possessing that Divine strength which the Church has 
 
24 ON CONFIRMATION. 
 
 always considered necessary, should fall away into sin 
 and be lost, the Bishop may form some idea, when he 
 reflects on the not unsimilar case of a child dying un- 
 baptized by reason of the parish Priest neglecting or re- 
 fusing baptism. 1 
 
 There are two mistakes into which clergymen are very 
 liable to fall in preparing their catechumens for Confir- 
 mation : one is, the treating the subject exclusively as a 
 preparation of the intellect ; the other, which naturally 
 results from this, is the fixing upon some one approved 
 rule or course of examination, and applying it to all cha- 
 racters alike — a preparation of the intellect no doubt it 
 is, and in this sense one rule must be applied to all. It 
 is necessary that all our catechumens equally understand 
 fully the terms of the covenant in which they are placed, 
 the conditions under which alone God has adopted them, 
 and their own consequent responsibilities. It is neces- 
 sary that they all see clearly what are their blessings, 
 what are their hopes, how these hopes may be frus- 
 trated, how these blessings lost. 
 
 In a land so overrun with schism as ours is, it is ne- 
 
 ^ It is many years ago that my thoughts were directed to this by the 
 following circumstance : Westboume Rectory is a sinecure, and its Rector 
 a sort of State Chaplain to the Bishop of Chichester. In that capacity 
 I was attending Bishop Carr on one of his Confirmations. On entering 
 the church, it was quite evident that the Bishop's injunction with 
 respect to age had been entirely disregarded by one of the Incumbents, 
 a grey-haired old man, who had about a year before been appointed to a 
 parish notorious for its immorahty and drimkenness : many of the chil- 
 dren were not more than ten or twelve years old. The Bishop accord- 
 ingly sent me to the Priest to ask why he had paid so Uttle attention to 
 his commands. "You will teU his lordship," said the old man, "that I 
 have no hopes of doing any thing in my parish without GtOd's grace, 
 and his lordship knows its present state as weU as I do. These younger 
 catechumens belong to the worst famihes in the parish. I have no hopes 
 of any guidance or example for them from their parents, who would only 
 teach them what is wrong, and therefore I thought it the more necessary 
 that they should be confirmed, in order that GrOD should strengthen and 
 direct them Himself. They can all say the Creed,^ the Loed's Prayer, 
 the Ten Commandments, and the rest of the Catechism, and I do not 
 know what the Church requires more." 
 
 The Bishop confirmed them aU. Whether God did then and there 
 strengthen them for the particular trials to which they were exposed, is 
 more than I can say, but certain it is, that the parish in question does 
 not possess now the evil reputation which it did ten years ago. 
 
NECESSITY OF A RIGHT FAITH. 25 
 
 cessaiy also that they should all have a distinct know- 
 ledge of the articles of their faith, that it should be im- 
 pressed upon their minds that the conditions of their 
 covenant are broken, and their inheritance of heaven 
 forfeited, just as much by breach of faith as by breach 
 of duty : that if they who have received the sacrament 
 of strength are required, in virtue of that strength, to 
 walk in God^s laws and to keep all His commandments 
 to do them, so they who have received the sacrament of 
 enlightening are required to stand by the faith that has 
 been imparted to them, to hold fast the form of sound 
 words that they have received. They should be shown 
 that the penalty upon each is the same, because in both 
 cases alike they break the covenant of their baptism, 
 which requires faith as well as duty — that as ^' without 
 holiness no man shall see the Lord,^^ so " he that be- 
 lieveth not shall be damned" — that as to the adopted 
 child of God there belong peculiar duties incumbent 
 upon him in that character, so to the member of Christ 
 there exist peculiar articles ofbelief which constitute the 
 Christian faith, and which, whatever be the rule of God 
 to others, except a Christian " believe faithfully," he at 
 all events '^ cannot be saved." This must be put to all, 
 not theoretically, but practically; abstract principles 
 are well enough, it may be, to us, but they are not so 
 to our uneducated people — segnius irritant animos demissa 
 per aurem quam qu(B sunt oculis subjecta fidelibus. It is 
 not sufficient that we tell them that there is one bap- 
 tism for the remission of sins ; we must show them that 
 they themselves are acting against it whenever they 
 consort with baptists, who baptize afresh, or Calvinists, 
 who promise justification by prevenient grace, or subse- 
 quent experience. It is not sufficient that we tell them 
 that their Blessed Saviour is Very God of Very God ; 
 we must show them that they are forfeiting their own 
 salvation by consorting with Unitarians and Socinians, 
 who deny it. It is not sufficient that we point out to 
 them that they pray against schism as well as against 
 false doctrine and heresy ; we must show them what acts 
 of schism are, and make them understand that whenever 
 
 c 
 
26 ON CONFIRMATION. 
 
 they wander into this or that schismatic meeting-honse, 
 or place themselves under this or that unauthorised and 
 self-commissioned teacher, they are then and there doing 
 despite to their Redeemer, from Whom all Church 
 unity proceeds — then and there giving up that particular 
 faith into which they were baptized, — then and there 
 denying the one Catholic and Apostolic Church, and 
 forfeiting the inheritance which they hold only on con- 
 dition of that faith and in connection with that Church. 
 These are not subjects for the pulpit. Whoever there 
 makes any form of belief the subject of argument, whe- 
 ther it be Unitarian and Calvinistic, whether it be Pres- 
 byterian or Roman Catholic, commits an error; if that 
 argument degenerate into railing, he commits a sin ; the 
 teaching there should be dogmatic, not argumentative — 
 this is the Catholic Faith, without admitting the possi- 
 bility of doubting it : thus I, the Ambassador of Christ, 
 announce, without admitting that the shadow of doubt 
 can exist on the authority of the message. " If any 
 choose to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor 
 the Churches of God ^^ — if '^ Ephraim be gone to his 
 idols, let him alone.^^ But the case is far different in 
 private conversation, where the catechumen has the 
 power of reply, — where the argument can be adapted to 
 each particular case. There the fact of schism must be 
 admitted and deplored, the sin pointed out, the peculiar 
 doubt which may exist in the mind of the particular in- 
 dividual removed, for in this case it may be removed 
 without suggesting it to the mind of another ; railing in 
 this as in all other cases must be avoided ; there is no 
 need of condemning others — the inference may, perhaps, 
 be unavoidable, nor is there any reason why we should 
 avoid it, but there must be no doubt left on his mind 
 that, if he, a sworn servant of Christ, countenance such 
 practices — much more if he partake in them — he indi- 
 vidually forfeits his own salvation, and that, however 
 God may be pleased to deal with others, unless he " be- 
 lieve,^^ and ^''faithfully" too — that is implicitly — "he 
 cannot be saved." It is at the approach to Confirmation 
 especially that these peculiar points should be insisted 
 
DANGERS OF SCHISM. 27 
 
 upon, because the very first preliminary to tlie reception 
 of Divine strengtli in tlie catecliumen is the open con- 
 fession which he makes in the face of the whole Church 
 of his inalienable reliance on the covenants of his Bap- 
 tism, and his own firm determination to abide by them. 
 He is not now what he was at Baptism — he is now a 
 free agent_, and fully able to understand what he pro- 
 fesses_, and it is our duty to see that he makes no pro- 
 fession without perfectly comprehending the extent of his 
 liabilities, — that he shall not run heedlessly into the 
 schismatic liberalism of the day without at least being 
 warned of his danger, without being made fully aware 
 that belief in the unity and catholicity of the Church into 
 which he was baptized is one of the articles of his faith, 
 that therefore, whatever the fashion of the world may 
 say, he will, in going against it, have given up one of the 
 articles of his covenant — one of the conditions on which 
 he received the promise of salvation, and that, whether 
 hereafter he be saved or not, at all events he is not saved 
 by those baptismal covenants which he has broken. 
 
 If these points were more insisted upon, and made the 
 conditions of Confirmation, we might have, perhaps, a 
 few more fixed and conscientious schismatics than we 
 have at present, though even that may be doubtful ; but 
 we should at least be relieved of those hosts of men, 
 who, halting for ever between two opinions, wavering all 
 their lives long between faith and schism, between the 
 Church and the meeting-house, are in reality an incum- 
 brance rather than a support, impeding and bringing 
 discredit upon that Church of which they are the no- 
 minal members — adding to her numbers while they take 
 from her strength. 
 
 For these reasons we must not omit to make our pre- 
 paration a preparation of the intellect. Before coming 
 to Confirmation, our catechumens must know distinctly 
 what '^ the right faith '^ is, and in what particulars men 
 depart from it. 
 
 But a far more important part of this preparation is 
 that of the conscience. In order to bring this before 
 our people in a practical form we should make our start- 
 
 c2 
 
28 ON CONFIRMATION. 
 
 ing point that direction in the Prayer Book^ that, as a 
 general rule, none are to be admitted to receive the 
 Holy Communion who are not confirmed. "We should 
 speak of Confirmation to them not as a sacrament of the 
 Gospel, not as that which is '^ generally necessary to 
 salvation,^^ but as a fitting and, in ordinary cases, ne- 
 cessary preparation to that which is. 
 
 If we take as the definition of a sacrament that given 
 in the Catechism — a rite ^^ generally necessary to salva- 
 tion '' — we might imagine that our people regard Con- 
 firmation as a Sacrament, and do not so regard the 
 LoRD^s Supper. They certainly do not in so many words 
 speak of Confirmation as one of the two sacraments of 
 the Gospel, but in practice they seem to think so, for 
 numbers will press to it, if permitted, who have not an 
 idea of the necessity of receiving the Body and Blood of 
 Christ at His Holy Table. 
 
 If this were an error of theory, it might be met by 
 actual precept ; but it is not. It would be useless for us 
 to waste time in insisting on a point which our people 
 do not doubt, that Confirmation is not of equal necessity 
 with the two Gospel Sacraments, because in theory they 
 hold all this. Their error is, that their theory is not 
 carried out to its legitimate consequences. It must be 
 met, then, by acting as if we ourselves took the theory 
 for granted, by doing what men would do if they really 
 thought so. We must not, therefore, talk to them of 
 preparing for Confirmation, but of preparing for the 
 Holy Communion. We must speak to them of the 
 danger of receiving it unworthily, of the promises which 
 we make on receiving that grace, on the performance of 
 which depends the efficacy of the grace itself; of our 
 natural inability to perform those promises ; of the 
 strength which we require from God to enable us to 
 perform them ; and of Confirmation as God^s method 
 of giving us that strength, without which the Bread of 
 Life would be to us the savour of death. 
 
 In this manner we should habitually regard, and in- 
 sensibly lead our people to regard. Confirmation as a 
 step to the Lord^s Supper, and the Lord's Supper as a 
 
PREPARATION OF CONSCIENCE. 29 
 
 step to a lioly life. You cannot tell them tHs, but you 
 may show it to them, and lead them to receive it them- 
 selves as an admitted fact, though they may possibly 
 never have heard it asserted in so many words. 
 
 The real examination, therefore, into which the Parson 
 must enter with his catechumens on receiving notice of 
 Confirmation is an examination of conscience. The 
 Creed, the Commandments, and the Catechism, will be 
 a necessary preliminary, because the conscience, before 
 it can exert its proper function, and comprehend its own 
 shortcomings, must needs be enlightened by a clear 
 view of Christian faith and Christian duty. But this is 
 merely the foundation ; all his preparation of Sunday 
 and evening schools, and public catechising, invaluable 
 as they will be to him as helps and preliminaries, will in 
 no way diminish the labours of that period — nay, will 
 even increase them, because an enlightened conscience 
 will always be a scrupulous conscience, and the more his 
 catechumens have been accustomed to converse with him 
 on such matters, the more desirous they will be to do so. 
 
 The Parson^s manual now will be, not the Catechism 
 — that will be his accessory and reference : his manual 
 will be the exhortations of the Communion Service. He 
 will show his catechumens that they are now about to enter 
 on the wilderness of this world, which affords the traveller 
 no spiritual food. He will point out to them how and 
 where this spiritual food is provided. He will explain 
 that this food, though necessary to sustain the strength, is 
 capable of being turned into a means of destruction and 
 death by the infirmities of the travellers. " As the be- 
 nefit is great, if with a true heart and penitent and lively 
 faith we receive that Holy Sacrament, so is the danger 
 great if we receive the same unworthily -/' and justly so, 
 because on first entering into this wilderness, the means 
 of strength are vouchsafed, because he who knows what 
 he wants, and does not ask for what he wants, is justly 
 left to the consequence of his own negligence or wilful- 
 ness. They must, therefore, by the experience of life 
 which they have had already, ascertain wherein they 
 have been deficient, and, in order to do this, they must 
 
30 ON CONFIRMATION. 
 
 (to go back to the exhortation) " examine their lives and 
 conversations by the rule of God's commandments/' 
 (here comes in the Catechism and the preparation of the 
 schools) ; and forasmuch as they are now rational and 
 accountable beings^ and, so far, different from what they 
 were when they were baptized, fully capable now, if they 
 please, to turn God's grace, whether of strength or nou- 
 rishment, into weakness and destruction, they must take 
 heed that there be not at this present moment an ob- 
 struction to the course of that grace in their own souls, 
 and, therefore, '' whereinsoever they shall have perceived 
 themselves to have offended, either by will, word, or 
 deed, there they must bewail their own sinfulness, and 
 confess themselves to Almighty God with full purpose 
 of amendment of life." 
 
 If this be the true course of preparation, it is perfectly 
 obvious, that, though the Parson will anxiously avail 
 himself of that opportunity to recall his parishioners 
 generally to a sense of their baptismal responsibilities, 
 though his sermons and his Church catechisings will 
 turn on that point, though he will satisfy himself that 
 his catechumens do understand what their duty is, and 
 what their faith is, and though he will for that purpose 
 divide them into little classes of four and six, according 
 to their abilities, or their private friendships, or the in- 
 terest they appear to take in each other, yet that for 
 this, the main point of all his examinations, the ascer- 
 taining how each individual has applied the knowledge 
 of God's will, which he individually possesses, and the 
 help of God's grace, which has been vouchsafed to him 
 personally, for this he must see and converse with every 
 catechumen separately and singly. 
 
 This is why the Parson's work on such occasions is so 
 laborious. It is a work that he can delegate to no other, 
 not even to his curate, except partially. He may, and 
 in most cases must, make previous inquiries as to the 
 conduct and character of each individual from the mas- 
 ters, the parents, and the sponsors of each. For much 
 of this his curate will be available, and ought to be so 
 employed, for the purpose of training him to take charge 
 
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF DOCTRINES. 31 
 
 of a parish at some future time. The Parson should 
 keep a general note-book, accessible to all his assist- 
 ants, and a private note-book besides ; that private note- 
 book no man but himself may see, and his application 
 of that note-book to the cases of his individual cate- 
 chumens no man may take part in. 
 
 For this, by far the most important part of a Parson^s 
 duty at this period, it is impossible to lay down special 
 rules. The whole work consists in applying the different 
 articles of the Christian faith to the different duties of 
 the Christian practice ; but in each particular case the 
 whole train of thought, argument, and teaching, may be 
 essentially different from the case which has gone before 
 it. In the pulpit, all the articles of the Christian faith 
 must be brought forward in their turns, and insisted on 
 equally. The suppression or undue exaltation of any 
 one of them is in itself a heresy. Here, in one case, some 
 articles may safely be kept in the background, and other? 
 insisted upon ; while in the next, the very same article, 
 which before had been neglected apparently and for- 
 gotten, must now be brought into broad light. There is 
 no point which requires more skill and experience in the 
 catechist than the adaptation of the general teaching of 
 Christianity to the peculiar condition of individual cate- 
 chumens. The Parson has none but general rules to 
 guide him. He must study the history of the times, the 
 history of his country, the history of his parish, and the 
 history of his catechumens separately. Every one of 
 these circumstances will more or less cast a colouring 
 over his teaching, and bring one or other of the articles 
 of his faith into temporary prominencCr 
 
 THE TEACHING OP THE CHURCH. 
 
 There is no point which requires greater skill in the 
 catechist than in his choice of subject, and his adapta- 
 tion of it to the peculiar condition of those whom he is 
 teaching. 
 
 The doctrines of the Christian religion are indeed 
 arranged by the creed, and by the three great festivals of 
 
32 ON CONFIRMATION. 
 
 the Church_, into distinct groups^ still there is no such 
 thing as the leading article of the Faith. That which has 
 been called articulus stantis vel cadentis ecclesice has in fact 
 no existence, for there is no prominence to be given to 
 one article of the Christian faith over another, if all are 
 necessary to salvation — that is to say, if without holding 
 all of them the Christian cannot be saved : then all 
 must be necessary alike, because the omission of any one 
 is sufficient to ensure damnation. There is, therefore, 
 no general rule to be laid down. The line of catechis- 
 ing must always be adapted to the necessities of the 
 times, and that doctrine, be it what it may, wherein the 
 faith of any individual is weak or wavering, becomes the 
 articulus stantis vel cadentis ecclesice to him. With the 
 Socinian, the conception by the Holy Ghost is the 
 articulus stantis vel cadentis ecclesice. With the Baptist, 
 the '^ One Baptism for the remission of sins " is the 
 articulus stantis vel cadentis ecclesice. Not that in reality 
 either of these doctrines is one whit more necessary to 
 salvation than the other, any more than we could ven- 
 ture to affirm that a head is more necessary to animal 
 existence than a heart ; still it may well be that in a 
 given individual one only of these necessary organs is 
 diseased, and that that person will require a treatment 
 which would be absolute death to one whose disease lies 
 in the other. And this is true with respect to classes as 
 well as individuals, and to ages in the existence of the 
 Catholic Church, as well as to times in the life of any 
 given member of it. Bygone ages were zealous without 
 charity, the present is charitable without zeal ; in by- 
 gone ages religion was stiffened into formalism, in the 
 present it is relaxed into indifference ; once there was 
 deep and implicit faith indeed, but it led to no works, 
 now there are works, and earnest works too, but the 
 faith is weak and wavering. The experienced catechist 
 will adapt his teaching to the prevailing colouring which 
 the fashion of the times or the opinion of his own par- 
 ticular circle casts over every individual, as well as to 
 that individuaPs peculiar idiosyncrasy. 
 
 The popular idea of grace, for instance, is the effect 
 
SALVATION BY WORKS. 33 
 
 of both these causes conjoined. It is caused no doubt 
 by the Puritan teaching of the last century^ but it takes 
 such ready root among all classes^ because it agrees so well 
 with the natural bent of the English character. Few of 
 our flocks are able to realize the idea of grace in the light 
 of help from GrOD. Grace as forgiveness they understand 
 — grace requiring nothing on our parts but mere assent^ 
 which is the popular idea of faith^ they receive readily — 
 too readily^ it is to be feared_, for their souls^ health ; but 
 grace as the nourishment from God afforded by Christ 
 to His servants who are about to faint in their journey 
 through the wilderness of this worlds or grace as the 
 armour of God supplied by Christ through the Holy 
 Spirit to His soldiers who are about to enter upon their 
 warfare against the world_, the flesh_, and the devil — that 
 is to say, a something, given by God indeed gratuitously 
 — a something, entirely independent of any merit on our 
 part, but requiring of us, from its very nature, subse- 
 quent exertion and subsequent self-denial — is an idea 
 totally foreign to their thoughts and habits. And this 
 inability of comprehension is more conspicuous in pro- 
 portion as they have been tainted with Puritanism. 
 Under this teaching they seem incapable of conceiving 
 it ; they do not, indeed, deny in words either that the 
 grace of God is given independently of their own merits, 
 or that, when given, it enables them to do all things 
 through Christ which strengtheneth them, but they 
 think, feel, act, and live as if they believed neither one 
 of these propositions nor the other. Whatever their 
 words may be, the real feeling in their minds is, that 
 there must be a something effected on their parts to 
 have earned the grace before they are justified in seeking 
 it from God. Their idea of what they call regeneration, 
 that is to say, the revival of an adult Christian — is 
 based upon this : it is the reward of a certain amount of 
 prayers, or the recompense of a certain period of misery, 
 which is called " seeking." They look upon it practi- 
 cally in the light of a payment or reward for work al- 
 ready done, not as a talent given freely, and, because 
 given, requiring subsequent work. Ask a parishioner 
 
 c 3 
 
34 ON CONFIRMATION. 
 
 why lie absents himself from the Lord^s Table, and he 
 will tell you that he is not fit : that man^s idea is, not 
 that his will is indisposed to do the Lord^s work, or that 
 he is determined to continue in the practice of some sin 
 of which he is conscious, and that therefore he is not fit 
 to approach his God ; his idea is, that he has not yet 
 achieved, by his own unaided efi'orts, that amount of 
 holiness which would entitle him to God^s help. — 
 Humbly as his idea is worded, that man^s notion of 
 Christianity is salvation by works — the Lord^s Supper, 
 whatever be his idea of the benefits received, is payment 
 for work done. 
 
 If this is his idea of the Lord's Supper, still more is 
 it his idea of Confirmation ; and this is more excusable 
 in him, because, by an unfortunate paronomasia, the 
 word " confirm " is used in the office in a double sense. 
 The question asked by the Bishop before proceeding to 
 the act of Confirmation is, " Do you here, in the pre- 
 sence of God and of this congregation, renew the so- 
 lemn promise and vow made in your name at your Bap- 
 tism, ratifying and confirming the same in your own 
 persons, and acknowledging yourselves bound to believe 
 and to do all those things that your godfathers and 
 godmothers then undertook for you ?" This expression 
 fits in with a most unfortunate aptness to his precon- 
 ceived idea of work and pay -, he forgets that from the 
 age when he could first articulate, up to the present 
 time, no one single act of religion has he performed 
 without first ratifying and confirming in his own person 
 the vow and promise of his Baptism, and that, should 
 he live beyond the age of man, no one single act will 
 he perform without again ratifying and confirming the 
 same — that is to say, without repenting heartily of his 
 former sins, and steadfastly purposing, by God's grace, 
 to believe His word and keep His commandments for 
 the future, and that in his answer to the Bishop he is 
 merely repeating that, without which, according to the 
 covenants of his Baptism, he can receive no grace what- 
 ever. He forgets this ; and if he is sufficiently enlight- 
 ened to refrain from making the first answer which 
 
NATIONAL PECULIARITIES. 35 
 
 comes to Ms lips — that he is going to take his sins off 
 his godfathers' and godmothers' shoulders — he is per- 
 fectly certain to reply that he is going to confirm the 
 promise made at his Baptism. The idea that Confirma- 
 tion is strength sent by God to fit him for his subse- 
 quent battle with the world — sent gratuitously^ because 
 God sees that he is now entering it — is altogether fo- 
 reign to the ideas of the self-relying energetic Saxon 
 race ; it is far more consentient with his Saxon feelings to 
 consider it a matter of barter — that the grace^ whatever 
 it is^ is given in return for something that he has done. 
 
 However^ therefore^ he may express himself, whatever 
 conventional form of words he may use^ that man's in- 
 ward feeling, the habit upon which he lives and acts, is 
 simply salvation by works, and in both these cases, and 
 in all similar cases, he has adopted the idea, because it 
 is consentient with the turn of his own mind, and with 
 the habits, and feelings, and customs of the English 
 nation. 
 
 Beyond, therefore, and over and above the particular 
 adaptation of our catechising to the peculiarities and 
 characteristics of each one of our individual parishioners 
 separately, that general colouring also must be thrown 
 over it which adapts it to the peculiarities and charac- 
 teristics of Englishmen. 
 
 In the peculiar character of every age, as well as in 
 the peculiar character of every individual, there is good 
 as well as evil, and evil as well as good. The imagina- 
 tive age may be full of faith, but it is unpractical ; the 
 utilitarian age may abound in works, but it is faithless. 
 Times and their characters are changing continually; 
 and, for that very reason, the Church, which, like Him 
 Who founded it, is the same yesterday, to-day, and for 
 ever, is especially intended by God to moderate the 
 changes of the world, and to counteract in turn the 
 different evils which these changes call forth ; and thus 
 it is that its weapons will vary with its duties, and its 
 duties will vary with the varying temper of the times, 
 and thus it is that Hezekiah may even break in pieces, 
 without incurring God's anger, that which Moses at the 
 
36 ON CONFIRMATION. 
 
 command of God had erected. In the sixteenth century 
 the Churches office may be to draw ont practice from 
 faith as its necessary consequence,, whilst in the nine- 
 teenth it is called upon to refer to faith from practice as 
 its necessary organ. 
 
 Practical England is unable to realize the doctrine of 
 sacramental grace. It is natural from her very charac- 
 ter^ and from the character of the times, that she 
 should be nnable to realize a thing so entirely a matter 
 of implicit faith. The doctrine of sacramental grace 
 therefore becomes to England, in the nineteenth cen- 
 tury, the articulus stantis vel cadentis ecclesise ; on this 
 point therefore the Church has to prepare her weapons. 
 And if this is done to the apparent disregard of other 
 doctrines equally important, it is not that the Church 
 underrates them, but that these are doctrines which the 
 prevailing temper of the times does not go against or 
 call in question. 
 
 The Eaith of England is weak in the nineteenth cen- 
 tury ; she is unable to realize an abstract idea ; but we 
 need not conclude, therefore, that England is more 
 irreligious than she has been, or than those nations are 
 now which are still able to realize it. We may still 
 thank God for the elements of holiness which we do 
 possess by nature and by constitution. Such as the 
 keen sense of duty or the apt readiness in carrying into 
 practice that which we do comprehend and do realise, 
 virtues which are peculiar and pre-eminent in England. 
 We must not despair of or depreciate our people be- 
 cause they show an inaptitude to virtues which are alien 
 to their idiosyncrasy. The combination of a lively faith 
 and a keen sense of duty, would amount to perfection 
 of character. But perfection of character is impos- 
 sible ; it is nowhere to be found in nature. In propor- 
 tion as either one of its elements comes into light, by 
 so doing it dwarfs and weakens the other. 
 
 The peculiarity of these present times is the extreme 
 difficulty which is experienced by all classes alike in 
 realising the Unseen. This arises in all probability 
 from the pre-eminently busy, practical, and unimagina- 
 
NATIONAL PECrLIARITIES. 37 
 
 tive character of the nineteentli century. And the 
 more so as it harmonises readily with the bustling, 
 active, worldly character of the Saxon races, combining 
 with and drawing into prominence all their peculiarities 
 both of good and evil. Industry, honesty, energy, 
 steadiness of purpose, all that forwards men in this 
 world, all that advances nations in the race of civiliza- 
 tion, is brought out into full light, while (as a necessary 
 consequence) poetry, imagination, and therefore its con- 
 comitant faith as the evidence of things unseen languish 
 and almost disappear. Men have become self-reliant, 
 independent, and confident in their own resources. This 
 carries them triumphantly through the difficulties of 
 life ; but the inevitable tendency of such a disposition 
 is to weaken their rehance upon God. They are fertile 
 in invention; it is a good quality in itself; but its 
 shadow is a love of expediency. They are industrious 
 and energetic ; this is a great blessing ; but its extreme 
 is utilitarianism, rationalism, and a contempt of every- 
 thing the use of which is not apparent. 
 
 Now, the teaching of the Church must be adapted to 
 these peculiarities. 
 
 Let US take an instance. There is no need of im- 
 pressing on the Spanish or Italian peasant the duty of 
 going to Church, or the necessity of sacramental grace 
 to his salvation, as we must do day after day in the case 
 of our own parishioners. He is as fully impressed with 
 it already as we can be ourselves. Not one day in that 
 man^s life passes over him, in which he is not on his 
 knees in Gon^s house. Not one Sunday, not one festival, 
 in which he does not assist, so far as he is permitted, at 
 the LoRD^s Supper. See him at Church; watch his 
 devout, his reverent, his abstracted demeanour ; nothing 
 takes off his attention ; his whole heart is in his worship. 
 See him in the fields or in the town ; the vesper bell 
 strikes his ear ; all work, all conversation, all employ- 
 ment, is suspended; his heart is joining in the prayers 
 offered up at yon distant shrine. The English parish 
 Priest contemplates this in sorrow and in bitterness ; 
 he thinks on his own flock ; he remembers his own 
 
38 ON CONFIRMATION. 
 
 fruitless exhortations, Ms own unheeded admonitions, 
 his own forsaken services, his own neglected altars. 
 Better, he is tempted to say in the bitterness of his 
 soul, a Church, however erroneous in its doctrines, which 
 produces such fruit as this. 
 
 But let us follow this very peasant into his common 
 life, — this man is a murderer, perhaps, a robber, an 
 adulterer ; he is living in the daily constant and habitual 
 breach of the commandments of that Gob whom he daily 
 constantly and habitually worships ; he is continually de- 
 filing that body, which he is continually calling on the 
 Holy Ghost to sanctify. He misuses daily, and turns 
 to his own destruction the grace which he daily receives. 
 True, we have robbers, and murderers, and adulterers 
 among ourselves ; but they are not religious men, they 
 make no pretence to devotion, they live as if they had 
 forgotten God. 
 
 The English observer is thunderstruck — the combina- 
 tion is impossible — the man must be a hypocrite. Not 
 so. The observer is judging him by the rule of his own 
 English heart and English feelings. That man is de- 
 vout and sincere, and yet a sinner; his national idio- 
 syncrasy is different from that which we have been 
 accustomed to contemplate. He possesses a keen sense 
 of devotion — the Englishman a keen sense of duty. 
 Both alike are imperfect characters, possessing each 
 his own element of godliness ; both, by God^s grace, 
 are capable of being moulded into perfection through 
 the instrumentality of His Church, but the process in 
 each is different by reason of his different character. 
 That faculty in each must be awakened and called into 
 action which in each is sluggish and dormant. 
 
 To the Italian, therefore, naturally devout but emi- 
 nently unpractical, we need say little on the necessity 
 of sacramental grace, — not because it is less necessary 
 to him than it is to the Englishman, but because his 
 national character predisposes him to embrace the idea. 
 What we should bring prominently forward in his case 
 is the condition on which alone it would avail him, that 
 is to say, doing the duty which this grace requires. 
 
ADAPTATION OF TEACHING. 39 
 
 To an Englishman^ on tlie other hand, the condition 
 need but be mentioned — the idea of duty is already fa- 
 miliar to him. Our attention, therefore, must be devoted 
 in the Englishman's case, to impressing upon him prac- 
 tically the idea of seeking God's help, the gratuitous 
 character of that help, and the means of obtaining it ; 
 because we may be certain that if we can once impress 
 upon his mind that a duty is laid upon him by any act 
 or any blessing on God's part, his own honest nature 
 will predispose him to do his utmost to discharge it. 
 
 Taking into consideration, therefore, not only the re- 
 lative importance of the doctrines, but the national pecu- 
 liarities of our flocks, our labour and our attention will 
 be mainly devoted to impressing upon them practically, 
 not theoretically, — 1st. The idea of seeking God's help. 
 2nd. The gratuitous character of that help. 3rd. The 
 peculiar channels which God has appointed for convey- 
 ing that help. And 4th. The peculiar duties which 
 result from each fresh accession of grace. 
 
 It will not be sufficient to state this series of propo- 
 sitions abstractedly — that not one of our flocks will be 
 disposed to deny. It must be the basis of all our ex- 
 hortations and all our requirements. It must be worked 
 into the uncongenial mind of our people, little by little, 
 line upon line, and precept upon precept. But if our 
 work is laborious, we may comfort ourselves with the 
 consciousness that it is sure. We are not likely to ex- 
 cite in the Englishman, as we might in the Italian, a 
 mere unpractical devotion. Fix once in his mind the 
 idea of seeking sacramental grace, and the idea of work- 
 ing with the grace so given follows naturally. 
 
 A fit preparation to an English mind for receiving the 
 grace of Confirmation would be, for instance, the parable 
 of the talents, or any similar passage, in order to furnish 
 the leading idea ; and upon this we must build, as upon 
 an axiom, that sacramental grace is given by God freely 
 to all His children — if not in equal proportions, still in 
 proportions suited to their stations and capacities, — that 
 all receive it alike gratuitously, not as a reward for 
 learning their Catechism or anything else; but that. 
 
40 ON CONFIRMATION. 
 
 according to the use we make of it after we do receive 
 it, we work out our own salvation with it, and are re- 
 ceived as faithful servants by the God who gave us the 
 means by which we work it out ; or else, by the misuse 
 of that same free gift, are cast out into outer darkness, 
 where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. 
 
 It is manifest that the same spiritual treatment would 
 be necessarily inapplicable to all cases, that what would 
 be life to the one would be death to the other ; that he 
 who would sharpen and exaggerate zeal in an age when, 
 for the love of God, every man^s hand was against his 
 neighbour, and he who would denounce formalism at a 
 time when it is difficult even to bring our own people to 
 Church twice a week ; he who would speak of duty only 
 to the man who is blind to sacramental grace ; or of de- 
 votion only to him whose faith is unfruitful of good 
 works; of eternal life to the Pharisee, or of formal 
 hypocrisy to the Sadducee, 'would alike be doing the 
 deviFs work with God^s weapons ; and, however well- 
 intentioned he might be, would remind us of Paley^s 
 inexperienced architect, who added weight instead of 
 support to the falling wall, by building his buttress on 
 the wrong side. 
 
 The Church catechist will always regulate his line of 
 teaching by the prevailing colouring which the character 
 of the nation, the fashion of the age, or the tone of any 
 particular class of society, casts over every individual, 
 as well as the particular idiosyncrasy of the individual 
 himself. 
 
 Perfection of character must be gradually and pain- 
 fully built up by grace; the office, therefore, of the 
 Church in any particular nation, or any particular age, 
 is to cherish the element which that age or nation does 
 possess — to use it as a foundation, and upon it to build 
 up the perfect Christian. In both cases alike she will 
 have to encounter difficulties, different no doubt accord- 
 ing to the different aspects, but avc have no reason to 
 suppose that it is easier to educe practice from faith, 
 than we find it ourselves to build up faith from practice. 
 
GENEEAL LECTURES, 
 
 I, 
 THE AWAKENING. 
 
 CHANGE OF THE SERVICES AT SEPTUAGESIMA. 
 
 " Our Profession is to follow the example of our Saviotje Cheist, and 
 to be made like Tinto Him." — Service for Infant Baptism. 
 
 If I were to ask any one person of all those now pre- 
 sent in the church, why it was that onr Lord Jesus 
 Christ came down from heaven, there is not one of you 
 who would not be able to answer me, there is not one of 
 you who would not say that it was to die for our sins — 
 to buy us back from the hard task-master to whom we 
 had sold ourselves, — and to give us again an inheritance 
 in heaven. You might not all express this in the same 
 words, but all would give me the same meaning ; igno- 
 rant and uninstructed as any of you may be on other 
 points, at least you would know that. 
 
 Before we go on any further, just stop and consider 
 the extreme thankfulness with which we should regard 
 this. The Gospel, the glad tidings of our salvation are 
 now so universally known, that they have become things 
 of course, things of which none of us can say where it 
 was that he first learnt them, or who it was that first 
 told him of them ; but of which, notwithstanding, he is 
 just as sure, as he is that it became light on the Christ- 
 mas morning of Christ^ s birth when the sun rose, and 
 was dark on Good Friday after the sun had set. This 
 
42 WHY CHRIST LIVED AMONG US. 
 
 is not natural religion^ it did not come to you of its own 
 accord. Some one must have told it first of all_, and as 
 no man could know anything whatever about such mat- 
 ters, it must have been revealed from God. Thank Him^ 
 therefore^ thank Him heartily^ that He has so burnt it 
 in upon your minds, that it has now as it were become 
 natural to you. And now go on to show your thank- 
 fulness by building upon that known fact^ all that He 
 would have you build. 
 
 And in order to do this^ ask yourselves first, if to 
 make satisfaction for our sins, and to bear our punish- 
 ment, were all that our blessed Savio cjr had to do upon 
 earth, would it not have been sufficient that He came 
 down from heaven — took our nature upon Him, — bore 
 our punishment, — and then returned? Why did He 
 live those four and thirty years upon the earth ? You 
 wdll not all of you be able to answer me this question, 
 but a great many will, especially the younger ones, be- 
 cause most of you have been taught your Collects, and 
 have been questioned, Sunday after Sunday, on the 
 meaning of them, and have been shown how to look for 
 their meaning in the Epistles and Gospels. Take up 
 your Prayer Book and look for the second Sunday after 
 Easter ; do you not see there that Almighty God gave 
 us His only Son, not only ^'^to be a sacrifice for sin,^' 
 but also to be an " example of godly life ;" that is why 
 He lived four and thirty years in this wicked world. 
 He not only took our punishment. He not only told us 
 how redeemed men ought to live. He not only gave us 
 grace to do it, but having our nature, being one of us, 
 He lived the life Himself, that He would have us His 
 people to live. If we would say the task is hard, we are 
 but men, we cannot do it ; He would answer. See it was 
 done, and by a man ; if we would say we are but weak, 
 we have but the strength of men, not the strength of 
 God, He would answer, How can you say that you are 
 weak, how can you say that you have only the strength 
 of men, when you, the members, are so joined to Christ 
 the Head, that you are no longer twain but one flesh ? 
 He could do all things by His heavenly nature, and so 
 
THE CHURCHMAN TAUGHT BY THE CALENDAR. 43 
 
 can you by precisely tlie same means ; you can do all 
 things through Christ which strengtheneth you. If 
 Christ is not at this moment in you_, and you in Him^ 
 whose fault is that but yours^ who neglect those ordi- 
 nances which make you so ? 
 
 Follow Christ as your example ; this is all we Chris- 
 tians have to do upon earth ; this is our business ; this is 
 our task in our Master^ s vineyard ; this is what He set 
 us to do when He called us out of the market-place of 
 this worlds where we should have been standing idle all 
 the days of our lives, and sent us into the vineyard of 
 His Church,, where all who stay there are His servants^ 
 and must work for Him. This is our work ; to do what 
 He did. And now I am going to show you how to do 
 it ; I am speaking to all of you^ no doubt ; but I am 
 speaking more particularly to-day to those who are 
 going to be confirmed ; so I will show you a picture of 
 your own Church lives^ from your own Church calendar. 
 
 You are to follow Christ not only from birth to deaths 
 but to resurrection also^ and judgment^ and heaven. 
 
 Well, He was born on Christmas-day, He died on 
 Good Friday, He rose on Easter-day, and went to heaven 
 on Holy Thursday. There is the beginning and end of 
 your work, and now let us trace it out. 
 
 Prepare to meet your Lord, says Advent Sunday; 
 that is your call from the market-place. Go into His 
 vineyard and get your work ready against His coming 
 in the evening to look at it. Now for your tools^ those 
 things which are to be given you to work with. There 
 are the Holy Scriptures, says the Second Sunday in 
 Advent ; and to teach you them, says the Third Sunday, 
 there are God^s Ministers, who are commissioned by 
 that very Master, to show you how to use them, and to 
 give you what the Fourth Sunday tells you is necessary 
 too; the presence of that Master and His strength; 
 the Master's eye and His hand. Well, children, you 
 have had this ever since you were born. Did we not 
 christen you ? Did we not, as stewards of God^s mys- 
 teries, endue you with your Master^s strength, by mak- 
 ing you members of Him ? Did we not afterwards put 
 
44 saints' day examples. 
 
 you to school ? Did we not teacli you to read God's 
 blessed book? Did we not catechise you week after 
 week^ and day after day_, to see if you understood it ? 
 These are the tools that God has given you to do His 
 work with. And now you must have something on your 
 part_, and that you shall have from the calendar too. 
 You must have readiness and willingness like S. Andrew, 
 the first Saint in the calendar. You must come when 
 you are called,, as he came when he was called^ and leave 
 your worldly things behind you, as he left them. And 
 then you must have faith; not the faith of S. Thomas 
 the second Saint, you must not wait till you see and un- 
 derstand, and then believe, because you cannot see God 
 face to face, as S. Thomas did, till the evening is come, 
 till you die, till your work is finished or left unfinished, 
 and it will be too late then. Those, and those only, will 
 be blessed, who have " not seen and yet have believed.'' 
 
 And now you are prepared ; you know what to do, 
 you have everything needful to do it with. Now comes 
 Christmas-day, and you start, you take up your cross 
 and follow your Master in His work ; but do not expect 
 this to be an easy life. Remember the very first day 
 that comes after Christmas-day. E-emember S. vStephen, 
 and the opportunity he had of following his Master by 
 praying for his enemies, just as that Master had done 
 before him ; this was no easy trial for S. Stephen, and 
 yet this is the very first example that meets you on your 
 course. Do you think you could look up to heaven and 
 see Jesus, the man standing at the right hand of God, 
 in His glory, unless you had love enough to stand at the 
 foot of the cross, and see Christ the God through His 
 humiliation ? 
 
 Look at S. John's day, which follows S. Stephen's. 
 
 And do you think that your eyes are fit to look upon 
 such holy and heavenly things, unless they are some- 
 thing like His AYho is of purer eyes than to behold ini- 
 quity ? Look at the Holy Innocents' day, which follows 
 S. John's. 
 
 Do you think that you are going to do your Master's 
 work, unless you are obedient to those who are set over 
 
CmCUMCISION AND EPIPHANY LESSONS. 45 
 
 you in the Lord ? Do you think that if you do not hear 
 the Church you will be anything more than a heathen 
 man and a publican ? Look at the day of Circumcision. 
 See your Master, Who went before you. See your pat- 
 tern Whom you are to follow ; see Him '' obedient to the 
 law for man ;^^ see Him submitting to what, in His case 
 at all events, was but an empty form, for He had no sins 
 to cast away, doing it for no other reason than because 
 it was a law of the Church. Doing it for man, and for 
 our example, and because it thus becometh us to fulfil 
 all righteousness. You will do none of Christ's work; 
 no, nor know what it is, without that lesson, obedience. 
 Courage, and love, and purity, you have been learning 
 from His Saints ; obedience is the lesson you learn from 
 the first of Christ's own holy days. 
 
 And the second is given for your encouragement; 
 many a lesson of Christ's goodness and our gratitude 
 and duty might we learn from Epiphany; but I am 
 drawing now the picture of a Christian life, and I will 
 give you one of encouragement. Do not say that you 
 are too poor, too ignorant, too little of scholars, as you 
 yourselves would call it, for your Master^ s work. All 
 He wants is the honesty of purpose, that brought those 
 wise men so far to serve Christ ; and the doing your 
 best, which made the prayers and the alms of the Roman 
 Cornelius to be accepted. You must have found out for 
 yourselves, by this time, what surprised S. Peter so much. 
 I need hardly tell the baptized members of Christ that 
 '^ God is no respecter of persons, but that in every nation 
 he that feareth Him and worketh righteousness is ac- 
 cepted with Him.^^ 
 
 Be of good courage ; not a hair of your head shall be 
 injured in all your trials ; ye are of more value than 
 many sparrows.^' Now, go forth and follow your Mas- 
 ter; for your work, like His, begins from childhood. 
 
 See, from the first Sunday after Epiphany, how He 
 lived with His earthly parents and was subject to them; 
 and remember the fifth commandment. See how He 
 increased in wisdom and stature, in favour with God and 
 man. Learn from the second Sunday His kindness to 
 
46 THE BREAK IN THE SERVICES. 
 
 His friends. Learn from the third His goodness to His 
 countrymen. Learn the same from the fourth, and see 
 how He extended it to His own followers. Do not be 
 discouraged that you '^ see the ungodly in such pros- 
 perity, and flourishing like a green bay tree.^' Do what 
 David did, ^^go into the Sanctuary of God, and learn 
 the end of those men.^^ Learn from the fifth Sunday 
 that it is out of your own Master^ s merciful kindness to 
 your own self that they do flourish ; that He leaves 
 them, lest in punishing them He should hurt you. Do 
 not be discouraged, do not be dissatisfied, or think your- 
 selves hardly treated by that which, when you come to 
 the harvest, the end of the world, you will find to be an 
 act of kindness towards yourself. 
 
 This is your work. This is what is set before you ; 
 and the sixth Sunday tells it you again, and sums it all 
 up for you. You do not know, it tells you, what you 
 shall be at the last day ; but you do know as much as 
 this, that when your Master comes, you must be like 
 Him, and you will know what you are then, if you do 
 not now ; for you will see Him as He is, and as He is so 
 will you be ; but it tells you what you cannot help see- 
 ing the truth of — that if you have this hope in you, you 
 must purify yourselves, because you know that He is 
 pure, and without purity you cannot be like Him ; and 
 it leaves you with this awful warning — Little children, 
 let no man deceive you ; he that doeth righteousness is 
 righteous, even as He is righteous ; he that committeth 
 sin is of the devil, for the devil sinneth from the beginning. 
 
 Here let us pause. Here is a great and sudden break 
 in the Church services. The lessons go back at once 
 and without any preparation from the glorious chapters 
 of Isaiah to the sad records of the Book of Genesis — 
 from what Christ has done for us, to what we have done 
 for Christ. I said that we are learning a picture of our 
 lives from the Church Calendar : and so we are. This 
 call which the Bishop makes upon us is like the break 
 between the sixth Sunday after Epiphany and Septua- 
 gesima. You have been baptized. You have been set 
 forth in your Christian course. You have used your 
 baptismal vows well or ill. You have had tools put into 
 
THE BISHOP^S WARNING. 47 
 
 your hands. You have worked with them much or little. 
 You have had God^s ministers to speak a word behind 
 you, saying, ^^ This is the way, walk ye in it, when you 
 turned to the right hand, or when you turned to the left/^ 
 and you have paid more or less attention to them. At 
 any rate, you have gone for a certain distance on the 
 road of life, which your Master trod before you, and as 
 you come to manhood or womanhood, you find your 
 trials thickening, your dangers increasing, your tempta- 
 tions growing stronger, and the ties which have hitherto 
 kept you to your duty growing weaker : you want more 
 help ; you have a right to it, for your Master promised 
 it to you when He first took you to be part of Him ; 
 and you call upon His steward, the Bishop, to give you 
 what your Master promised. Yes, says the Bishop, you 
 shall have it. I will come and bring it to you. But 
 first look back at your past lives. The help which you 
 are asking for is not the first which you have had. See 
 what you have done with that which you have had al- 
 ready. Remember the Parable of the Talents. ^ You 
 have had a talent committed to you already — what use 
 have you put it to? Have you hid it in the ground? 
 Your Master has been some time absent. It is now 
 fourteen or fifteen years since you first engaged in His 
 service ; let us see what work you have done. You must 
 have done something for baptismal grace, and God^s 
 Word and God^s ministers are no small things to work 
 with. I will not come just now, the Bishop says ; 1 will 
 give you some time to look back upon your past life ; 
 for I know that as the benefit is great^ if you come for 
 it with a true penitent hearty so is the danger great if 
 you come unworthily. Judge yourselves ; try yourselves 
 '^by the rule of God^s commandments." You have the 
 earlier part of Christ's life before you in the services 
 from Christmas to this present season; and you have 
 the earlier part of your own lives to compare it with. 
 You see what Christ was; you see what you may be, 
 and ought to be. See now what you are, what you 
 have done with the help you had, and then I will bring 
 you some more if you want it. 
 
48 THE POSSIBILITY OP BEING DISINHERITED. 
 
 Now^ my dear cliildren_, stop and consider — is not sucli 
 a call as this enough to frighten ns ? Is it not enough 
 to make us turn from Isaiah to Genesis — from the re- 
 demption to the fall^ from glory to shame? Can we 
 look back upon our past lives and see what we might 
 have been_, and what we are, without thinking of that 
 last great call, when the same question will be asked us, 
 and we shall have no time left us for repenting; when 
 that sentence of the last Sunday after Epiphany will be 
 sounded in our ears — " He that committeth sin is of the 
 devil, for the devil sinneth from the beginning -/^ when 
 God will say. Ye were My children indeed, but ye have 
 been disinherited; when Christ will say. Ye were 
 branches of the True Vine, but ye bore no fruit, and ye 
 were cut off. The last Sunday after Epiphany, and its 
 Epistle, will be the last act of our spiritual lives. We 
 shall never go on to the Gospel of Septuagesima ; we 
 shall never see the Master of the vineyard when the 
 shadows of evening have come over us, calling in His 
 true servants and giving them their hire. We shall be 
 called, but we shall have no work to show, and we shall 
 hide our faces. Our tools, wherewith we might have 
 worked out our salvation, though it were with fear and 
 trembling, will lie useless by our sides, and we shall 
 hear the word. Take therefore the talent from him, and 
 cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness, 
 there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 
 
 The festival of Easter is the festival of the Resurrec- 
 tion, and at Easter you wiU receive your first com- 
 munion. You will therefore receive your first perfect 
 union with Christ at the commemoration of His Re- 
 surrection ; let it be a resurrection unto life to you, and 
 in order that it should be, make your examinations, 
 which will commence from this day, and without passing 
 through which you will not be presented to the Bishop, 
 not receive permission to partake of that communion 
 here on earth, make these the type of your own judg- 
 ment at the last day. " Judge yourselves, that you be 
 not judged of the Lord." Go over your faith carefully 
 and attentively. See what have been required of you. 
 
49 
 
 I shall be ready to lielp you in this. I shall remain 
 at home to receive all who come to me. I shall put be- 
 fore you the things which you have promised to renounce^ 
 and shall ask you searchingly if you have renounced 
 them. I shall show you the articles of the Christian 
 faithj so that you shall all understand what you have 
 promised to believe, and shall ask you if you do believe 
 them. I shall examine the commandments by Christ^ s 
 broad law, and ask you if you have obeyed their spirit 
 as well as their letter. I know most of you well. I 
 cannot tell your secret sins, no doubt, nor can I give 
 you advice on those points, except so far as you choose 
 to consult me ; but I know your lives and general cha- 
 racters. In most cases I can tell the sins you are most 
 addicted to, and the temptations likely to have weight 
 with each of you. I can show you when and how best 
 to apply for assistance. 
 
 Do not come to me in classes or societies — come 
 singly, accompanied, if possible, by a godfather or god- 
 mother, who will undertake your instruction, and will 
 bring you to the Bishop ; but, at all events, come singly, 
 each one for him or herself, just as you will stand singly 
 before the judgment-seat of Christ. I will afterwards 
 form you into parties of two or three for instruction ; 
 but I cannot speak to you of neglected duties by classes, 
 because that which I say to one will not apply to another. 
 
 You have now, as it were, a second trial allowed you, 
 and an increase of grace promised. You may examine 
 yourselves now, and whereinsoever you may have found 
 yourselves to have come short, you may ask for help on 
 that particular point ; and if you ask in faith you will re- 
 ceive. You may repent some particular habit of sin, and 
 if you are in earnest, grace will be given to enable you 
 to break through it. For all sins, whether of ignorance 
 or of wilfulness, you may ask for pardon in Christ's 
 name, and if you ask in sincerity; and because you love 
 the God you have offended, not because you fear the 
 punishment He threatens, you will receive it. Wicked 
 as you may have been, you may wash your hands in 
 innocency, and so may you go to God^s altar. David, 
 
 D 
 
50 THE JUDGMENT. 
 
 who wrote this very sentence, was not himself innocent,, 
 but he wrote it by God's permission, that those who 
 followed him in his sins, might follow him in his repent- 
 ance also. 
 
 But remember this, that there will be an Easter of 
 which this is only the type, that there will be a festival 
 of the resurrection of which this is only the remem- 
 brancer. There will be a judgment of which this ex- 
 amination will be but a foretaste, and (if God will) a 
 preparation, that at that great festival there will be no 
 further trial, no room for repentance, though you seek 
 it earnestly and with tears. To him who is unfit for 
 Communion next Easter here on earth, some further 
 time may, it is possible, be allowed ; but he who is unfit 
 for Communion on that Easter, is unfit for ever. As 
 you then find yourselves, so will you be. ^^ He who 
 is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he that is filthy, 
 let him be filthy still ; and he that is righteous, let him 
 be righteous still ; and he that is holy, let him be holy 
 still ; and, behold, I come quickly, and My reward 
 is with ]\Ie, to give to every man according as his work 
 shaU be.^^ 
 
 Go home now and consider — the Church has set apart 
 this particular season between Septuagesima Sunday and 
 Shrove Tuesday, for the reckoning up of your sins, and 
 has pointed out special chapters and passages of Scrip- 
 ture to enable you to do so, — put that to its use. The 
 Bishop also calls upon you. Then there is a double 
 reason why you should do so. Find out your defects, 
 then bewail yom' sins through Lent : then make re- 
 solves for amendment; then come for God^s blessing 
 and protection at Confirmation, and put the seal upon 
 all that you have done by the Holy Communion ; and 
 when at that great Easter of the last day, you hear the 
 voice of Him which testifieth of these things, calling to 
 you, and bidding you show your work, and saying, 
 " Behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me,'' 
 you may in humble confidence and peaceful hope, answer 
 with S. John, '^^Amen. Even so come, Lord Jesus." 
 
II. 
 
 THE JOURNEY THROUGH THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 " The Old Testament is not contrary to the New, for both in the Old 
 Testament and in the New everlasting life is offered to mankind by 
 Cheist, who is the only mediator between GrOD and man, being both 
 GrOD and Man : wherefore they are not to he heard which feign that the 
 old fathers did look only for transitory promises." — Art. VII. 
 
 Before we begin the special subject for tbe evening, 
 I will ask you to open your Prayer-Books and look at 
 wbat I have but just read — the beginning of the Se- 
 venth Article. The remarkable point of this is, that in 
 the Old Testament everlasting life should be offered by 
 Christ, and yet, to any one reading the Old Testament, 
 it would appear that the name of Christ is never men- 
 tioned from one end of it to the other. 
 
 Perhaps some of yon can tell me how this is. 
 
 " From the numerous prophecies about our Saviour,^' 
 said A., ^^ which we find through the whole of the Old 
 Testament, all of these we see fulfilled in the New ; and, 
 as these began from the very fall, — ^ the seed of the 
 woman shall bruise the serpent^ s head^ — they show the 
 purpose of God from the beginning of Revelation. It 
 was dimly hinted at at first, but so plainly announced 
 as time went on, that though the old fathers, as they 
 are called in the Article, could not know all that we 
 know, they must have known quite enough to bear them 
 out in looking for more than ^ transitory promises.^ '^ 
 
 ^^Not a bad answer,^^ said the Parson, ^^but it does 
 not entirely meet the question. The prophecies you 
 speak of were quite sufficient to convince the few, that 
 
 D 2 
 
52 
 
 THE WHOLE JEWISH HISTORY TYPICAL. 
 
 God intended a deliverance, and had prepared a sclieme 
 of redemption, by which eternal life would be oflPered 
 to fallen man ; but I do not see how they could have 
 learned from this that eternal life was offered already 
 to them by a Saviour, centuries before that Saviour 
 appeared on earth. You must go to something beyond 
 the prophecies/^ 
 
 "The types ?^^ said A. 
 
 "The typical personages/^ suggested B. 
 
 "Yes/^ said the Parson, "you are much nearer; but 
 you would be nearer still, had you said that the whole 
 scheme of God^s government which we read of in the 
 Old Testament, is typical — that there is no character 
 mentioned in the Law and the Prophets who is not a 
 type of some one in the Gospels — that there is no inci- 
 dent in the history of the Old Church which is not de- 
 scriptive of something in the New — not simply that 
 there are types of Christ to be found in the Old Tes- 
 tament, but that the whole is typical. It is like a group 
 of statuary concealed by a veil, and the same group 
 when the veil is removed : you see the same outlines 
 and general appearances ; they are not changed, but 
 you see now the details which produced those general 
 appearances — the group is the very same, only now you 
 see it and understand it better. Perhaps the very same 
 thing will happen again at the last day, and another veil 
 will be then removed; we shall then see still further 
 into the details of Gon^s government, and shall recog- 
 nise in the Church of the Blessed, then fully revealed, 
 the very same grouping which we saw outlined in the 
 Old Testament and partially disclosed in the New.^'' 
 
 I have said this, because I am going to-night to teach 
 you Christian doctrines by Jewish types. You might say. 
 Why teach by that which is less clear when you have that 
 which is more clear to your hand ? — why teach by the Old 
 Dispensation those who are living under the New ? 
 
 Because you will understand the one by comparing 
 it with the other, and because you will thus see the un- 
 changeableness of God^s purposes and of His govern- 
 ment ; because the same idea appearing under many 
 
THE NARRATIVE OF THE EXODUS. 53 
 
 different forms_, even though those forms be less distinct 
 than the original_, will be less likely to be misunderstood. 
 We get our doctrines from the Gospel, but we see that 
 we have not misunderstood them, by comparing them 
 with the same doctrines under the law. 
 
 The subject that I am going to explain to-day is the 
 life of the Christian_, shadowed out and typified by the 
 wanderings of God^s people in the wilderness. 
 
 The literal history you all know from the Bible, but 
 I will draw its chief incidents together. God^s people^ 
 living in a land not their own, are brought under bond- 
 age by a hard and cruel taskmaster ; they are called by 
 their God to return to their own country, but, their 
 taskmaster being too strong for them, they are unable 
 to obey the call. God sends a deliverer and a leader ; 
 a long and difficult contest ensues, marked by miracles, 
 every one of which attests the power of God, and de- 
 liverance is at last efi'ected, though not without blood. 
 God's chosen people, now obeying the call, set forth on 
 their journey, and are delivered from the pursuit of their 
 oppressor by passing through water. 
 
 It is at this period of their journey that a heavenly 
 Guide appears to them, who from that time till their 
 actual arrival and establishment in their own country, 
 is to be the suggester of every movement, and at the 
 same time the defence against every enemy. 
 
 After this deliverance is effected, and not before, a code 
 of laws is given to them, and a particular form of worship. 
 They are then set forward on their journey to their own 
 country, with a heavenly- appointed leader, with a com- 
 missioned priesthood, and under the immediate guidance 
 of that mysterious Appearance; and are safe while they 
 submit to be so guided, and only as long as they submit. 
 
 The land to which they are travelling is abundant in 
 all manner of food, and, to prove this, they have some 
 specimens of it — some foretaste, as it were, shown to 
 them ; but that land through which, for their want of 
 confidence, they are obliged to take their journey by 
 slow and painful stages, affords no food whatever, to 
 sustain, them ; they would faint and perish, were they 
 
54 THE KEY TO THE MYSTERY. 
 
 not supernaturally sustained by bread from heaven itself. 
 They are tempted in various manners through the whole 
 course of their journey — by lust^ by self-will^ by un- 
 faithfulness_, by discontent. Many fall away, many 
 perish: of aU those called, very few indeed arrive at 
 the boundary of that pleasant country which has been 
 their aim and object from the beginning; and when 
 they do arrive, they find that boundary to be a deep 
 impassable river ; but the moment the feet of the priests, 
 bearing the outward visible signs of God^s principal 
 blessings, touch the water, it parts of itself, and the 
 chosen people, sustained by the presence of these out- 
 ward visible signs of inward spiritual grace, pass through 
 and take possession of the land which God from the 
 beginning had prepared for them. 
 
 Here is a plain narrative of facts — the mere relation 
 of the things which happened, which every one could 
 see, and which it required no inspiration to record — 
 which, in fact, were recorded just as well and just as 
 accurately by the Jewish historian Josephus, as they 
 were by the inspired writer Moses. 
 
 But if we examine this group of facts by the Eevela- 
 tion which we possess, we shall see that this course of 
 events, accurately and in all its details, represents the 
 life of every Christian, from his call out of an unre- 
 generate state of existence, up to his final admission 
 into heaven ; and if we show that, we shall show that 
 GoD^s providence then was in no ways difi'erent from 
 GoD^s providence now ; we shall show not only that the 
 death of Christ procured redemption for them as it does 
 for us, but that every detail of the means by which we 
 appropriate and avail ourselves of this redemption was 
 arranged from the beginning of the world, and in its 
 real spiritual meaning never has been changed, and 
 never will be. 
 
 The land of Egypt, called so frequently the land of 
 bondage, cannot but suggest to us the bondage of sin — 
 in short, the natural state into which man, as the de- 
 scendant of Adam, is born ; and if this be so, Pharaoh 
 the taskmaster is evidently a type of the devil, whose 
 
THE RED SEA AND BAPTISM. 55 
 
 servants we are while we continue in that state ; and 
 Moses, first rejected as a leader and driven into the 
 wilderness, and afterwards received and followed, repre- 
 sents as evidently our Blessed Saviour. Not without a 
 hard struggle, — not without many miracles, — not without 
 death, — and not uncommemorated by a sacrifice, is the 
 deliverance effected. But of this I will not speak now, 
 as it belongs to another set of types. At last God^s 
 chosen people are enabled to break from the power of 
 the devd, and to obey the call of their Lord. Their 
 first step — that by which they are saved — that by which 
 they pass from the land of bondage to the state of free- 
 dom — is through water, which purifies them by dividing 
 them from the unregenerate land, and by the same act 
 preserves them from the power of their enemy. They 
 are baptized in the Ked Sea, and this is the very word 
 the Apostle uses in speaking of it. Thus has God from 
 the beginning fixed Baptism as the boundary between 
 the unregenerate and the regenerate condition of men. 
 This call may be obeyed or disobeyed, but as long as 
 we are on the Egyptian side of the water, we are still in 
 the power of the enemy, who on his own ground is too 
 strong for us : we are preserved by the act of passing 
 through water. 
 
 But water is not that which saves us — it is only the 
 means. While the Israelites were in the act of passing 
 through the water, the power of God overshadowed 
 them : then it is that we hear of the pillar of the cloud, 
 which was from henceforth to go before them, and to 
 show the way ; and not only that, but when their ene- 
 mies pressed upon them, it went behind them — it cast 
 a light upon the path of the chosen ones, but was a trouble 
 and a discomfiture to their pursuers, — it stood between 
 the regenerate and their enemies, so that the one came 
 not nigh the other throughout the whole of the night. 
 What Christian can fail to see in this the Holy Ghost 
 Who first overshadowed us at Baptism, and from that 
 time forward is a guide to our feet and a light to our 
 paths, leading the way^ unto all truth, and at the same 
 
 ^ 'Odtryrjcrei. 
 
56 SINAI AND CONFIRMATION. 
 
 time preserving us from the evil one, who would, if lie 
 could, bring us back to slavery, — that Guide which, dur- 
 ing the night, (that is to say, during the helplessness of 
 infancy and childhood,) had stood between us and harm. 
 
 And now we are coming to that part of the Israelites' 
 journey which typifies your present state and future 
 course in life. 
 
 After all these blessings, after this great preservation, 
 and not before, the Israelites come to Sinai to receive 
 the commands of their God and their directions for their 
 future journey, while their hearts are yet warm, and 
 their gratitude fresh with the recollection of the pre- 
 servation they had just experienced. The wilderness on 
 which they are to be launched represents the present 
 world — barren, unfruitful in all spiritual sustenance, yet 
 lying as a necessary journey between the actual situa- 
 tion of God's chosen people, and Heaven, their pro- 
 mised land. 
 
 Upon the edge of that wilderness you are standing 
 now, and before you have forgotten your great deliver- 
 ance, — while you are thinking of the difierence between 
 the unregenerate state on that side of the water, and the 
 regenerate on this, — while you see your pursuer driven 
 back, and feel yourself delivered from him, — and before 
 you have sunk under any of those temptations, or expe- 
 rienced any of those grievous trials that must beset you 
 in the wilderness which lies before you, — you come to 
 me, God's representative, to receive at my mouth the 
 law and the testimony, you come to the Bishop, the 
 steward of Christ's grace, to receive at his hands strength 
 for your journey. Confirmation is your spiritual Sinai. 
 
 Henceforward you will pass through the wilderness of 
 your earthly pilgrimage, but across that wilderness you 
 have the Heavenly Guide to lead you, that appeared to 
 you first at your baptism. You must wait for His lead- 
 ing, just as the Israelites did for that of the pillar of the 
 cloud. You must go on when He leads you, you must 
 stop when He stops. You must not be afraid of under- 
 taking any duty He points out, impossible as it may 
 seem to you. Remember what happened to the children 
 
THE ROCKj AND THE MANNA^ AND THE EUCHARIST. 57 
 
 of Israel, when they thought only of the cities walled up 
 to heaven, and the children of Anak that guarded them, 
 rather than of the Heavenly Leader of their own host. 
 Neither must you be looking out for your own means of 
 passing forward in your journey, where the Spirit of 
 God gives no directions. Remember what happened to 
 the children of Israel, when, without the Word of the 
 Lord, they rushed toward the promised land^ and were 
 discomfited by their enemies. 
 
 The real way of serving God lies in waiting for His 
 call, and then obeying it. 
 
 The wilderness of this world will produce no spiritual 
 sustenance ; neither must you look for it, that would be 
 like the Israelites looking back to the flesh-pots of 
 Egypt, and being discontented because in the path that 
 they were following they could find none of the leeks, 
 and the onions, and the melons, and the cucumbers, which 
 they remembered in the land of their captivity. But you 
 need not perish with hunger or with thirst because the 
 wilderness produces neither spiritual meat nor spiritual 
 water. Remember how Moses and Aaron struck the 
 rock, and how the waters flowed out abundantly, and 
 remember how the Apostle explains this, that the Rock 
 which follows us is Christ, and that under the touch of 
 those whom He has commissioned, His grace flows upon 
 His people as abundantly as water. 
 
 Nor will you faint for want of food ; remember how 
 in that long journey ^'^man did eat angels^ food, for He 
 gave them bread enough.^^ So Christ supplies you 
 now with spiritual food ; He gives you bread enough ; 
 throughout the whole of that desolate wilderness, the 
 world, your souls are strengthened and refreshed by the 
 Body and Blood of Christ, just as your bodies are re- 
 freshed by bread and wine. 
 
 Do not presume on your privileges. Do not fancy that 
 because you were called, therefore you are chosen; be- 
 cause you are regenerate, therefore you are safe ; because 
 you have had so much done for you, therefore you have 
 nothing to do for yourselves. Remember the tempta- 
 tions that beset the children of Israel from the begin- 
 
 d3 
 
58 JORDAN AND DEATH. 
 
 ning of their course, down to the very end of it. Ee- 
 member how many of them fell away: remember the 
 sins for which they were punished ; self-will; ingratitude, 
 lust, disobedience to the authorities God had set over 
 them, choosing their own form of worship instead of the 
 pattern of those things which Moses had seen in the 
 Mount. Remember the thousands that perished under 
 each succeeding manifestation of God^s wrath. Now if 
 you have any doubt that all this applies to us, quite as 
 much as it did to them who actually passed through 
 these dangers, open your Bibles at the tenth chapter of 
 S. PauFs First Epistle to the Corinthians, and see what 
 he there says about it. " Moreover, brethren, I would 
 not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers 
 were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea : 
 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in 
 the sea ; And did all eat the same spiritual meat ; And 
 did all drink of the same spiritual drink : for they drank 
 of that spiritual Rock that followed them ; and that Rock 
 was Christ. But with many of them God was not well 
 pleased; for they were overthrown in the wilderness.^' 
 
 Now mark what follows : — " Now these things were 
 our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil 
 things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as 
 were some of them ; as it is written, The people sat down 
 to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us 
 commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell 
 in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us 
 tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were 
 destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of 
 them also murmured, and were destroyed of the de- 
 stroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for 
 ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, 
 upon whom the ends of the world are come.'' 
 
 And when at last you shall come to the borders of that 
 promised land, will not you be divided from it, just as 
 they were, by a deep, dark, impassable river ? does not 
 the Jordan of the Israelites typify to the Christian the 
 river of death, that even at the end of his journey lies 
 between him and heaven ? and what is it that opens the 
 
THE ARK AND GOD^S ORDINANCES. 59 
 
 way to him ? what is it that shows him the way we must 
 go ? for as Joshua said to the people_, we have not passed 
 that way heretofore. " The ark of the covenant of the 
 Lord, borne by His priests, passed before them through 
 Jordan, and as soon as the feet of the priests that bare 
 the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, the waters 
 stood and rose up in a heap, and were cut off, and the 
 people passed through." 
 
 These words are also written for our admonition, upon 
 whom the ends of the world, that is to say, upon whom 
 the objects of God, through the whole previous course 
 of this world, are come. 
 
 There is no passage to our promised land but through 
 the river of death ; there is no passage across that river 
 revealed to us but by the covenants of God, and those 
 covenants are borne before you by the priests whom He 
 has commissioned to bear them. 
 
III. 
 
 THE SEASON OF WATCHFULNESS AND SELF- 
 EXAMINATION. 
 
 " Watchman, what of the night ? "Watchman, what of the night ? 
 The watchman said. The morning cometh, and also the night : if ye will 
 inquire, inquire ye : return, come." — Isa. xxi. 11, 12. 
 
 Septuagesima is the seventieth from Easter — 
 
 Sexagesima is the sixtieth from Easter — 
 
 Ouinquagesima is the fiftieth from Easter. 
 
 And as each week rolls round Easter draws nearer. 
 
 And Easter typifies the Resurrection, and the Resur- 
 rection brings the Judgment. 
 
 In the earlier part of our lives it is hardly human 
 nature to look forward. In childhood we hardly look 
 forward to even our future lives, much less to death, and 
 judgment, and eternity. Our lives, then, like the ca- 
 lendar to which I have been comparing them, date back 
 from Christmas. Happy for us if we have employed 
 well our baptismal grace, and if, as our earlier years 
 passed by, we have made our own, and laid up in store 
 for future use those virtues of Him Whose steps we are 
 following, which one after another the earlier Sundays 
 of the Calendar have set before us. 
 
 I tell you now, that you have turned over a leaf in 
 the calendar of life, just as you have turned over a leaf 
 in the calendar of your Prayer Book. I tell you now 
 that your calendar begins to date itself from the end of 
 your life, not from the beginning; that your mind is 
 opened; that your reason is strengthened; that your 
 understanding is enlarged ; that you begin to see whither 
 
WATCH AND PRAY. 61 
 
 the road of all these virtues is leading ; that heaven and 
 a blessed resurrection are coming into your sight ; just 
 as this season of the Churches calendar^ which you are 
 passing through, dates itself from Easter. 
 
 You begin to think more seriously of these things, 
 and you come to me, the Lord^s watchman, whom He 
 has set over you, to warn you of your dangers, and you 
 say to me, '^ Watchman, what of the night ? Watch- 
 man, what of the night V And I say to you, ^^ The 
 morning cometh, and also the night." The morning in 
 which the Lord hires His labourers, and sends them 
 into His vineyard : the night in which He reckons with 
 them and pays them their wages. I say, " if ye will 
 inquire," if you will look into your past years, and find 
 out what you have already prepared for the work of life, 
 and what you have neglected, and where you have come 
 short, and what you want yet, " inquire ye." I am ready 
 to answer your questions. I am ready to give you the 
 benefit of my experience. I am ready, from the Word of 
 God committed to my keeping, to show you at one view 
 your duties and your means of performing them. If you 
 have strayed from your path, " return." Whether you 
 have strayed or not, " come." I will show you what 
 Christ was ; and, therefore what you, who have pro- 
 mised to be His soldiers and servants, ought to be. 
 
 This is the subject of these three Sundays, and the 
 consciousness of our short-comings when fully and fairly 
 set before us, the difi'erence between what we are, and 
 what we ought to have been, and might have been, will 
 naturally lead us to the next subject which will then be 
 set before us by Ash-Wednesday and the Sundays in 
 Lent — penitence. In the character in which I place 
 myself before you, I will give you the watchword of the 
 night. That for these three Sundays is Watch. That 
 for the next six is Pray. Watch now ; examine yourself 
 now ; see what you have left undone now, and then you 
 will be ready of yourselves to lament it in sackcloth and 
 ashes, and to pray for more help from God. For as you 
 can reach Easter only by passing through these two sea- 
 sons, Septuagesima and Lent, so you can reach a joyful 
 
62 THE LABOURERS IN THE VINEYARD. 
 
 resurrection only by passing througli the doctrines 
 which these two seasons teach — self-examination and 
 repentance. 
 
 In order to lead your thoughts into this train, watch 
 the change which has taken place in the Gospels. In- 
 stead of the miracles^ and acts of power and goodness^ 
 which we have been reading of, and which, if dwelt upon 
 too much, would lead us into thinking too highly of 
 ourselves as people deserving all these great and good 
 things which were done for us, and thus falling into that 
 spiritual pride which was the ruin of the Jews, instead 
 of these, and such like subjects, we have the parable of 
 the householder going out into the market-place to hire 
 labourers for his vineyard ; and the parable of the sower 
 sowing good seed in all sorts of soils ; and the blind 
 men calling upon the Blessed Lord as He passed by to 
 open their eyes, that they may see the path that lies 
 before them. It is not for nothing that the Church 
 arranges this order of her Gospels — puts these three 
 scenes together in this season which calls for watchful- 
 ness — and puts the season of watchfulness after that 
 portion of the calendar which sets forth our Saviour's 
 virtues, and before that portion of it which calls for our 
 penitence, having shown us that with all the means of 
 grace which He has given us, we have fallen so very 
 short of them. 
 
 You all know that these parables are but types — pic- 
 tures, as it were, of great truths, which they who con- 
 sider them with a trustful heart will easily find out for 
 themselves. You all know that in this particular case, 
 the householder is our Blessed Saviour — that the vine- 
 yard is His Holy Charch — that the market-place is the 
 world — and that He goes forth and hires us His la- 
 bourers, who, were it not for His gracious calling, would 
 be standing idle in that market-place and doing nothing, 
 because able to do nothing for our salvation. You know 
 that He sets us each our own work in that vineyard, 
 the Church, to cultivate and make fruitful the vines, 
 which are the different virtues we have been learning 
 from the last eight or ten Gospels — obedience, faith, 
 
CHANGE IN THE LESSONS. 63 
 
 benevolence,, charity, love — and that He graciously shows 
 us that He will give us our rewards not so much accord- 
 ing to the amount of work done as according to our 
 readiness and good will in doing it. 
 
 Now, the question that I want to ask you is — " How 
 have you been doing your own part of the work ?" You 
 have been among those called early in the morning — 
 almost from your birth have you been soldiers and ser- 
 vants of our Lord. You have had your task set you — 
 a light and easy task hitherto proportioned to your 
 strength. You know that whether the task set you be 
 great or little, the reward for doing it will be far beyond 
 your deserts. But the question I am asking you is, 
 " How have you done it V^ I do not find that one of 
 the men so called into their Lord^s vineyard idled away 
 their time, whether that time was much or Httle. What 
 have you been doing ? 
 
 These are reflections which would naturally spring 
 up in your minds, from having had your duties set before 
 you, one by one, as they have been ever since Advent 
 Sunday; and now being reminded by the Gospel for 
 Septuagesima that they are duties — that is to say, not 
 things to be admired, and taken up or laid aside as we 
 feel disposed, but task work set us. These things are 
 like school, where all sorts of good and useful things 
 are set before us, not only because they are good and 
 useful, but that we may use them and employ them for 
 our own benefit, and that of others, when we go out 
 into the world. 
 
 And now comes the examination. What stores have 
 we laid up, and what do we want further, to fit us for 
 the harder and more real work that is before us. 
 
 But, lest you should not lay this to heart, let me point 
 out another change in the services. Look at the Sunday 
 lessons. We change at once from the prophecies of 
 Isaiah to the records of Genesis. This is not merely 
 because, having ended the Old Testament, it is necessary 
 to begin it again. The Book of Isaiah is by no means 
 the last book of the Old Testament. The reason is this : 
 as long as the Gospels were relating our blessed privi- 
 
64 FREQUENT CALLS. 
 
 leges as Christians^ and the duties of our callings and the 
 means vouchsafed to enable our fallen nature to perform 
 those high duties — all that part which I compare to 
 childhood and to school — the Gospel Prophet sounds 
 again and again in our ears those glorious promises of 
 God — tells us of the office,, and nature^ and character of 
 our Blessed E;edeemerj — shows us that, though these 
 things may very possibly be hard to flesh and blood, 
 yet that it was to enable us to perform these very things 
 that our Saviour came down from heaven. 
 
 But when, at this season, the tone of the Gospels 
 changes, — when they begin to ask us how have we per- 
 formed those tasks ourselves ? — then the lesson changes 
 its tone also, and shows us that we are not the first who 
 have been placed in covenant with God, or aided by 
 GoD^s protection, or enlightened by God^s presence. It 
 shows us that our first parents fell, and asks us, in a 
 voice not to be mistaken, Have you who have been 
 adopted in Baptism, and then and there replaced in the 
 innocence they had forfeited for themselves and you, have 
 you done better ? And if the answer be, as I am afraid it 
 must be, "We have sinned with our fathers and done 
 wickedly,^^ then we are brought at once to thank our 
 blessed Saviour with all our hearts and minds, and soul 
 and strength, that we are not, as they were, shut out from 
 that happy Paradise, with the flaming sword barring the 
 entrance, and shutting out the return to the Tree of 
 Life, but are permitted to pass from Quinquagesima to 
 Lent — from self-examination to penitence — to plead the 
 atonement He has made, and to claim the promise with 
 which we begin our daily prayer — that " when the wicked 
 man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath 
 committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he 
 shall save his soul alive/' 
 
 Thank God your Saviour also that He deals with you 
 more lovingly than He did even with the labourers in the 
 vineyard; them He rewarded not according to the amount 
 of the work done, but according to their faithfulness in 
 doing it. So He does you ; but them He called but 
 once ; they all came, and came gladly : you too He has 
 
THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER. 65 
 
 called, and some of you came gladly too, but some did 
 not_, — some went back to tbe market-place. Tbe morn- 
 ing of your lives is already past ; you are entering upon 
 the forenoon^s work ; and now, at the third hour. He 
 calls upon you again. Will you hear His voice ? — will 
 you *^ return V^ — will you " come ?" — for, if you will, 
 there is more work to be done, and more strength to do 
 it with. The day of trial will wax warmer presently ; 
 come all of you — you who have worked honestly hitherto, 
 and you who, having not worked honestly, yet are will- 
 ing and desirous of doing so — come all of you and be 
 confirmed at God's hand for the harder work that is yet 
 before you. 
 
 Now pass on to the parable of Sexagesima, and let 
 me show you, not only that you are all called at this 
 your third hour by the Master of the vineyard, not only 
 that your tasks are set, but that, as you are not able to 
 perform them through the heat of the day in your own 
 strength, the same means of grace is offered to you all. 
 I need not tell you the parable of the Sower, you have 
 all heard it often enough to recollect its story ; but re- 
 collect the sort of field spoken of, which is common 
 enough in Syria to this day : not the square, well-hedged 
 and well-cultivated field that we see here, but open 
 ground only partially reclaimed, with large rocky spaces 
 and patches of unbroken land, producing still their na- 
 tural crop of thorns and briars, with perhaps an un- 
 hedged mule-track running through the midst of it, so 
 that the seed which falls at one cast from the sower, 
 may very easily fall on any or all the four sorts of land 
 spoken of in the parable. 
 
 Now, the parable is this : — The seed is the Word of 
 God — not the Bible only, but every means of grace 
 which has become a means of grace by the gracious 
 words recorded in that Bible, and, among them, that 
 which we are now considering — the strengthening grace 
 imparted in Confirmation. All these have been and 
 will be sowed equally to all. 
 
 You have all been baptized — all made equally mem- 
 bers of Christ ; you have all been instructed by the 
 
66 OUR FIELDS AND OUR HEARTS. 
 
 Churcli in those things which " a Christian ought to 
 believe to his soul^s health :" you have all been at Church 
 to-day^ and might have been there every day of your 
 lives; when there, you have all alike been forgiven 
 your repented sins ; you have all alike been permitted to 
 offer your thanksgivings for mercies received, and your 
 prayers for mercies desired ; you might all have listened 
 equally to the Scripture read in your ears ; and, to the 
 best of my belief, there is not a house in the parish 
 without its Bible. This is what you have enjoyed, and 
 what you will enjoy is the equal imparting of strength 
 from the Holy Ghost at Confirmation, and the equal 
 communion with your Lord and Saviour here on 
 earth. Surely, surely the seed is sown equally to all, 
 as the sower sows it over the field : and now that the 
 Lord of the harvest is going to send His sower to make 
 a fresh cast, say whether the hearts upon which His seed 
 vdll fall equally are not as different from each other as 
 the four sorts of ground spoken of in the parable. 
 
 Ah, yes ; but there is no reason why they should be. 
 Look at our own fields ; they were once like the fields 
 of Syria, but they are so no longer. The parable is no 
 longer applicable to our fields; they have been re- 
 claimed ; the rocks, and the thorns, and the hard ground 
 have disappeared ; the seed of the sower falls upon none 
 but good ground now, and before you can fully under- 
 stand the parable, it is necessary for me to explain to 
 you that our land was not always what you see it. Are 
 you not ashamed to say that Christ^s parable has ceased 
 to be a parable as far as your fields are concerned, but 
 that it is as applicable as ever to your hearts ? Is not 
 life more than meat ? and has not the God Who has 
 given your bodies the power of reclaiming the one, given 
 your souls also the power of reclaiming the other? 
 What is the grace of Baptism ? — what is the meaning 
 of being made a member of Christ ? — are you going to 
 bury that talent in the earth ? 
 
 I call upon you to repent, for Christ has given you 
 the power of repenting. I call upon you to do works 
 meet for repentance ; and when I do so, I call upon you 
 
THE BLIND MEN AN EXAMPLE. 67 
 
 for no more than you can do, for '^you can do all things 
 through Christ, Who strengtheneth jou/' 
 
 And this brings me to the third Gospel of the season. 
 The ambassador represents the sovereign, and is in the 
 place of the sovereign, so far as regards that particular 
 office which is committed to his charge. "He that 
 heareth you heareth Me,^^ said our Lord. Christ's 
 Ambassador wiU be passing by, to distribute from His 
 Master^ s stores committed to his stewardship, strength 
 proportioned to your needs. Now remember the blind 
 men who stood by the road leading to Jericho, while 
 their Lord passed by : pray to that Lord, as they did, 
 to open your eyes, that you may see your dangers, your 
 past sins and consequent weaknesses ; your faults, and 
 your deficiencies. Pray to Him that you may see the 
 hard spots in your hearts, so that you may break them 
 up in time, and the thorns in your hearts, in order that 
 you may remove them before they choke the good seed 
 that will then fall upon them. Unless you see your 
 faults, you will not be able to guard against them, or 
 amend them, or prepare for the good seed the Lord is 
 sending you. This is why this Gospel closes our season 
 of self-examination. Of yourselves you know not what 
 to cast out or what to ask for. Pray then, " Lord, open 
 Thou mine eyes, that I may see." 
 
 Clearness of sight is peculiarly necessary when we 
 have to look into our own faults, and peculiarly difficult 
 to be obtained ; in fact it can be obtained through Christ 
 alone ; it can be obtained only by prayer, and our prayers 
 are invariably answered, " according to thy faith be it 
 unto thee." 
 
 Now remember faith is not only believing that Christ 
 died for your sins, but believing every thing that Christ 
 said. And among the rest, believing that He can and 
 will give you the particular thing you are asking for at 
 this particular time. 
 
 To receive spiritual sight, therefore, you must believe 
 as this blind man believed, that Jesus came into the 
 world to fulfil those particular promises which declared 
 of Him, that He should " give light to them which sat 
 
68 . , CHRIST IS LIGHT. 
 
 in darkness and in the shadow of death, and guide their 
 feet into the way of peace/^ To have the grace of bap- 
 tism, without following it, is just as if the Israelites had 
 stood still in the wilderness when the pillar of the cloud 
 moved on before them, just as if the wise men,^ (who 
 would not have been wise men then,) had remained in 
 the East when the star went on before their faces, point- 
 ing the road to Bethlehem. You must believe that 
 while you are following the guidance of your reason, you 
 are in darkness, and all the greater darkness, because 
 the star of your baptism and the pillar of your cloud has 
 moved away from before you; but that with Christ is 
 Light to enlighten every one who seeks it. And towards 
 this Light you must turn the desire of your heart, that, 
 the eyes of your understanding being opened, " you may 
 know the truth, and know it more abundantly :^' so that 
 God, who commandeth light to shine out of darkness, 
 may shine in your hearts, and give " the light of the 
 knowledge of His glory in the face of Jesus Christ." 
 
IV. 
 THE SEASON OF MANHOOD. 
 
 "Before honour is humility." — Prov. xv. 33. 
 
 You will have seen by this time that I am carrying 
 out from the New Testament arranged by the Calendar 
 according to the teaching of the Church, the very same 
 lesson which I have already shadowed out from the Old 
 Testament, in the march of the Israelites towards the 
 promised land. 
 
 And it is quite true, that, besides the type of the 
 Israelites in the wilderness, we do possess in the Church 
 Calendar, from Christmas to Easter, that is to say, from 
 the birth of Christ to His glorious resurrection, another 
 and a livelier picture of a Christianas progress through 
 this state of trial, to the blessedness of His promised 
 land. There is, therefore, and there must be, a close re- 
 semblance between these two pictures of the same thing. 
 In the earlier Sundays of the Calendar, we see set forth, 
 only now much more vividly and distinctly than in the 
 old type, the protection, and the guidance, and the grace 
 vouchsafed us by God, before we were, I will not say 
 deserving, for that we never are, but able to deserve it. 
 There is the same obedience required, the same instruc- 
 tion imparted in the Sundays after the Epiphany, which 
 we find in the commandments of Sinai, and in precisely 
 the same order. In neither case is the commandment 
 given first, and the protection vouchsafed, as a conse- 
 quence of having obeyed it. In both cases alike the 
 great deliverance is effected first, the people are adopted. 
 
70 THE HARD WORK OF LIFE. 
 
 called^ set forth on their journey^ led by the presence of 
 God, and all this out of God^s free grace, and no de- 
 servings of their own. This is done first, the command- 
 ments are given afterwards. In the one case the pillar 
 of the cloud, in the other Christ Himself, walks the 
 road, step by step, before His people. They are ex- 
 pected to follow where He leads, and to receive and walk 
 by the commandments of their God, not so much in 
 the hope of an immediate reward, though that they will 
 receive, as in gratitude for a deliverance already effected. 
 ^' We love Him, because He first loved us," 
 
 I have shown you that the Exodus from Egypt, the 
 Baptism of the Red Sea, the Pillar of the Cloud, the 
 Commandments of Sinai, and the additional help and 
 guidance, and protection, and means of access to God 
 in worship afforded by the tabernacle, typify the child- 
 hood and youth of the Christian, together with his call 
 to Confirmation, and the additional help he acquires 
 by it. I have shown you, too, that the same season of 
 life is pictured in the Birth of Christ, and the instruc- 
 tion of the seasons after Christmas, while Septuagesima, 
 like Sinai, completes the course with the image of Con- 
 firmation and its consequences. I am going now to lay 
 before you, by the Sundays in Lent, your future course, 
 — the stern realities of manhood, the hard work of life, — 
 the road of your duty lying through a desolate wilder- 
 ness, which your Master trod, and which, as soon as 
 He has strengthened you for your journey, you must 
 tread after Him, if you wish ever to reach the place to 
 which that same path has led Him. 
 
 You have longed, no doubt, as all young people do, for 
 the time of your coming to manhood and womanhood. 
 You have fancied it a thing to be desired -, and you are 
 right — so it is — every part of the road that leads to 
 eternal life is a thing to be desired. You have been look- 
 ing forward with hope to the greater liberty and fuller 
 enjoyments of that state. You have done well. The 
 liberty is greater, the enjoyments are fuller. That is to 
 say, greater means of serving God are put in your power, 
 and fuller enjoyments result from a consciousness of 
 
LIBERTY BRINGS RESPONSIBILITY. 71 
 
 having served Him. Thanks be to God^ He has left no 
 part of this life without its own flowers and its own fruits, 
 which those who journey along it are free to gather. 
 
 But remember^ if you increase your liberty, in the 
 same proportion you increase your responsibility. If 
 your enjoyments multiply, so do your temptations. Do 
 not forget that the Old Testament typified the maturity 
 of man — his march from Sinai to the Promised Land — 
 by a path through a desert ; or that the Christian Church 
 points out the progress from Confirmation to a blessed 
 resurrection by the season of Lent. 
 
 Lent has its festivals and its enjoyments, too, just as 
 life has. The Sundays in Lent are not Sundays of Lent. 
 They are times of rest and refreshing, like the halts 
 in the wilderness : but for all that, the main husiness 
 of life lies through the hard, stony, uninviting path 
 of duty — the weekdays of Lent — the time of abstinence 
 and self-denial. 
 
 I would not discourage you. I would point to the 
 Holy Land beyond the wilderness — to Easter at the end 
 of Lent — to the prize of your high calling in Christ 
 Jesus at the end of your path of duty. But I may not 
 deceive you into the idea that the path which I am now 
 pointing out to you is an easy one. I may not say any 
 thing but what my Master said of it. I must tell you 
 that they who would come after Him must not only take 
 up their cross, but that they must take it up daili/ to 
 follow Him. But I will not tell you that you can enter 
 into heaven, except through much tribulation. I will 
 not talk to you of anything but a strait gate and a nar- 
 row road for you to travel in, for my Master has told 
 me that, though there is a wide gate and a broad road, 
 and many people travelling in it, yet that that gate and 
 that road will lead you to destruction. 
 
 I must tell you this — or how would you believe me 
 when I spoke to you about Confirmation ? What need 
 of strength from above if the path of your life were easy 
 — your burthen light, and your journey safe ? Willingly 
 will I point out to you, from the Old Testament, the 
 Rock that followed God^s chosen with its refreshing 
 
72 THE SEASON OF MANHOOD. 
 
 waters, and tell you from the New that that Rock was 
 Christ. Willingly will I tell you of the manna in the 
 Old Testament, and show you how '^ man did eat angels' 
 food" — and then call you to the Holy Communion, and 
 tell you that the Father giveth you far more than He 
 gave the Israelites of old — that He giveth you the True 
 Bread from heaven, of which that was but a type. I will 
 call yon to eat of it again and again, " for the journey is 
 too much for yon.'^ I will show you how you may " go 
 in the strength of that Meat to the mount of God." 
 But I will not lead you to suppose, either that the wil- 
 derness of this world supplies meat for the soul, or that 
 the journey is not hard to flesh and blood; for if I did, 
 you might attempt it on your own strength, — if I did, 
 you might think lightly of the nourishment which your 
 heavenly Father has provided for you, and so "faint by 
 the way," and never reach your home. 
 
 I must tell you what manhood is, and what you must 
 expect to find it ; not what you would fancy it, or wish it 
 to be. And I will tell it you from the Church. Look 
 at the Gospels, Epistles, and Collects of Lent, just as 
 you would look into the guide-book of a journey you are 
 about to take. See from them what sort of country you 
 are going through; see what you may expect to meet 
 with; and see what preparation you must make, and 
 what provisions are necessary for your journey. 
 
 The First Sunday in Lent shows us mortification of 
 the flesh through regeneration. 
 
 The Second — our spiritual weakness. 
 
 The Third — God's defence against our spiritual ene- 
 mies. 
 
 The Fourth — Justification by being made one with 
 Christ. 
 
 The Fifth — The grace of perseverance. 
 
 The Sixth — which brings us into Holy Week, and 
 carries us step by step, in its variety of Gospels and 
 Epistles, through the great and mysterious doctrines of 
 the Atonement, teaches us voluntary conformity of our 
 lives to the humiliation of Christ. 
 
 This, and none other, is your path along Lent through 
 
DIFFICULT DUTIES. 73 
 
 Easter Eve_, to tlie joyful morning of Easter Day. This^ 
 and none other, is yonr path of manhood and woman- 
 hood. Through the grave and gate of death, to a joyful 
 resurrection, on the last Easter,^ the Day of Judgment. 
 
 First Sunday. — There is a great difference, you cannot 
 help seeing that, between the duties pointed out to us by 
 Christ's example in this stage of our life, and of the 
 Church's teaching, and those which were pointed out to 
 us in the Sundays before Septuagesima. Those were 
 duties towards our neighbours — obedience to the Church, 
 obedience to our parents, considerateness, benevolence, 
 and the like — that is to say, obvious, and therefore easy, 
 - — duties, — duties suited to the strength of young Chris- 
 tians. Those which are held out to us now, also from 
 the example of our Master, are personal duties, less ob- 
 vious, less supported by public opinion and the praise of 
 man, less seen, and consequently very much more diffi- 
 cult. We are like the disciples, who, having performed 
 successfully many great works in their Saviour's Name, 
 tried to cast out the devil from the young man who was 
 brought to them during their Saviour's absence, and 
 were surprised to find themselves absolutely unable to 
 do so. When afterwards they asked their heavenly 
 Master, " Why could not we cast him out ?" they were 
 told that " this kind comes not out but by prayer and 
 fasting." 
 
 The disciples, then, were young Christians, learners 
 like yourselves, and Christ taught them, as the Church 
 in His name teaches you, by putting easy things before 
 them first. You have been told to love, honour, and 
 succour your father and mother, to honour and obey 
 the Queen, and all that are put in authority under 
 her, to submit yourselves to your governors, teachers, 
 spiritual pastors and masters, to order yourselves lowly 
 and reverently to all your betters, to hurt nobody by 
 word or deed, to bear no malice nor hatred in your 
 hearts, to keep your hands from picking and stealing, 
 and your tongue from evil speaking, lying, slandering. 
 
 1 The word Easter is irovo. the same root as the words East and Yeast, 
 and hke them signifies rising. 
 
 E 
 
74 ' GREATER TRIALS, 
 
 These, and many things like these, you have been told 
 to do, which, as regenerate — as children of God — as not 
 only disciples, but members of Christ, you feel you 
 ought to be able to do. You ought. Some you have 
 done, like the disciples, but some you have not done, 
 and cannot. You know that you have harder things 
 than these before you, and you come to Christ, as His 
 disciples came, with astonishment and disappointment ; 
 and you ask Him, Why cannot we cast out those bad 
 feelings, those angry and sulky tempers ? why cannot 
 we be kind ? why cannot we obey our parents ? And 
 He tells you, as He told them, that your own faith is 
 not yet strong enough — that this kind comes not out 
 but by prayer and fasting — that He began His own 
 entrance into the business of His calling by prayer and 
 fasting — and so must you. 
 
 Then, that is to say, after His baptism, was Jesus 
 led up into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 
 Then, after your Confirmation, and because of your 
 Confirmation, will your trials increase. You need not 
 be afraid, your trials then will not be above your 
 strength, but if you would withstand them as your 
 Master withstood them, you must not reject the means 
 by which He did it. 
 
 Personal duties the Church has purposely withheld 
 from you, in a great measure, during the earlier part of 
 her teaching, but she places them before you now, when 
 you have strength to bear them. This is an intentional 
 arrangement, in order at once to encourage you and to 
 give you humility. You are shown that even in easy 
 duties you fail, unless you first " purify yourselves even 
 as He is pure,^^ and, when your attempt to do that opens 
 to you duties more difficult, you find that if your trials 
 are greater now, it is because you are able to bear 
 greater, and perhaps, as one of the old Fathers has it, 
 ^^ because the de^dl is always more anxious for a victory 
 over GoD^s Saints than over others, and therefore the 
 greatness of your trial is in itself an encouragement, 
 because it is the measure of your increase in holiness." 
 
 And this brings us to the subject of the next Sunday; 
 
S. CHRYSOSTOM^S COMFORT. 75 
 
 " our own spiritual weakness/^ and the fact that the 
 strength in which we stand is not our own. We have 
 not time now to enlarge on the particular instance men- 
 tioned in the Gospel of this second Sunday^ sufficient is 
 it now that I fix your attention on this one pointy that 
 of ourselves we can do nothings that everything we do^ 
 that every advance we make^ is from God and through 
 Christ. And that as Moses exhorted the Israelites to 
 do in their temporal progress, so we exhort you to do 
 in your spiritual progress — whenever you look back 
 with satisfaction to the conquest over any sinful feeling 
 or habitj that you should think, not of yourselves who 
 have gained that step in your Christian life, but of the 
 God who gave you the power to gain it. " Thou shalt 
 remember the Lord thy God, said Moses, for it is He 
 that giveth thee the power to get wealth.^^ And wealth 
 here means welfare as well as riches, eternal prosperity 
 as well as temporal. 
 
 This is the Lesson of the second Sunday, and when 
 it is well learnt, but not before, we may venture on the 
 grand and comforting doctrine of the third Sunday — 
 "Christ the defence of His faithful followers.^^ It 
 would not be safe to enter upon this doctrine without 
 fitting preparation, for a reason I will tell you presently ; 
 it has been to many a fearful downfall ; it is a scripture 
 which many "have wrested to their own destruction,^' by 
 crying to themselves, " Peace, where there was no peace, 
 saith GoD.^' Comfort before humiliation is "healing 
 the hurt of the Lord's people sKghtly," as Jeremiah 
 calls it — allowing the wound to heal too soon, and 
 throwing the virulence of it into the constitution. But 
 humiliation has its own comfort in the mean while. I 
 will tell you this in the words of S. Chrysostom; you 
 must all be familiar with the name of Chrysostom, for 
 you must at once recollect that beautiful prayer of his 
 which closes our morning and evening services. 
 
 " Whoever thou art,'' he says, " that after thy baptism 
 (and I might add now after thy Confirmation) sufferest 
 grievous trials, be not troubled thereat, for this thou 
 receivedst arms to fight, and not to sit idle. God does 
 
 E 2 
 
7Q THE' STRONG MAN CAST OUT. 
 
 not hold all trial from us ; first, that we may feel that 
 we are become stronger ; secondly, that we may not be 
 puffed up with the greatness of the gifts we have re- 
 ceived ; thirdly, that the devil may have experience that 
 we have entirely renounced him -, fourthly, that we may 
 be made stronger ; and fifthly, that we may receive a 
 sign of the treasure entrusted to us, for the devil would 
 not come to tempt us did he not see us advanced to 
 greater honours." 
 
 When you have once fully realized this, and impressed 
 it on your minds, then you may go on to the next Sun- 
 day, and see the strong man that would have made your 
 hearts his palace cast out by One stronger than he, and 
 the goods, that is to say your faculties, your means, 
 your time, and your opportunities, which would have 
 been used in his ser\dce, claimed and made His own by 
 that Mighty King who is at once his conqueror and 
 vour defence. 
 
V. 
 GOD^S HELP. 
 
 " Thou shalt remember the Loed thy G-od : for it is He that giveth 
 thee the power to get wealth." — Deut. viii. 18. 
 
 The principal lesson taught us by tlie Second Sunday 
 in Lent is our own spiritual weakness. You see that 
 the Collect for the day begins ^^ Almighty God_, Who 
 seest that we have no power of ourselves to help our- 
 selves." The first thing that strikes us here is_, that this 
 is a subject which comes round very often. This is quite 
 true. There is no subject which the Church brings 
 before us so often, because, strange as it may seem, there 
 is nothing that we are so apt to forget. Whenever we 
 are richer — whenever we are more powerful — whenever 
 we are happier — nay, whenever we are holier and better 
 — whenever we feel ourselves more advanced in our wor- 
 ship of God, or our duty to our neighbours, — the first 
 thing that comes into our minds always is, '^ my might 
 and my power hath gotten me these things .^^ There- 
 fore it is that the Church is constantly sounding in our 
 ears the warning — ^' Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, 
 but unto Thy Name give the praise, for Thy loving mercy 
 and for Thy truth^s sake." 
 
 Much as we are given to this at all times, we are more 
 given to it when we feel that we have advanced in grace, 
 — when we look back upon our past lives, and think that 
 now we are better than we were at some other time, — or 
 when we look upon our neighbours and think that we 
 are better than they. It is the great snare of the devil 
 
78 OUR ADVANCE IN HOLINESS 
 
 which lie lays for us at those particular seasons. When- 
 ever, therefore,, the Church calls upon us for unusual ex- 
 ertions as a preparation of our souls and bodies for very 
 holy seasons, she is sure to put in some caution about 
 our real spiritual weakness. You remember, at Advent, 
 when we were called upon to prepare for our Lord^s 
 coming on the first Sunday, we were told to go to our 
 Bibles in the second, and to our Priests in the third ; 
 the fourth told us that all this would be of no use, un- 
 less Christ raised up His power and came among us, 
 and with great might succoured us. So is it also now. 
 If possible, Easter is a holier season than Christmas. 
 At any rate, our preparing ourselves for Confirmation 
 has brought more solemn subjects before our eyes, and 
 the Church has required of us a strict examination into 
 our own faith in all the articles of the Christian religion, 
 and of our own consciences as to the manner in which 
 we have acted up to their requirements. 
 
 We have been examining ourselves, and confessing our 
 sins ; perhaps we have felt ourselves forgiven. We really 
 do feel very sorry at having off'ended so good a God, Who 
 has shown Himself so ready to forgive us, and we have, 
 during the last week, been determining to show our 
 sorrow outwardly, — to attend the services of His Church 
 more frequently, — to pray oftener, — to take more trouble 
 to serve our neighbours, — to forgive any one who has 
 injured us, — to ask forgiveness if we have injured any 
 one : we have determined to purify our bodies by fast- 
 ing, either literally fi'om food, or figuratively from all 
 things that draw our minds from God. We have al- 
 ready shown a good deal of zeal for God : many of us 
 have attended the Lent services and the evening lec- 
 tures regularly, and feel that we have profited by them. 
 And so gracious is God, and so soon does He give us 
 His reward, we have already begun to feel better and 
 happier and more at ease in our consciences. 
 
 Now, says the Church, do not deceive yourselves, — do 
 not fancy that this is your work. " You have no power 
 of yourselves to help yourselves." This is God^s doing, 
 not yours. You have got spiritual wealth — well and 
 
IS GOD^S WORKj NOT OURS. 79 
 
 good : keep it and persevere ; but do not forget that it 
 was God Who gave you the power to get the wealth. 
 He put into your minds these good desires^ — He mnst 
 enable you to bring them to good effect. These are the 
 words of the Easter Collect. 
 
 We have in the Gospels a great instance of how the 
 devil tempts men to their destruction by this very thing. 
 Who prayed more than the Pharisees ? — who were 
 oftener at their religious duties ? — who gave more alms ? 
 — who fasted more ? — who did more these very things 
 which you have been resolving to do for this Lent^ — and 
 doing ? And what spoiled it all ? One things and one 
 thing only : spiritual pride. They thought that it was 
 their own work, and therefore they were proud of them- 
 selves for it. And what did that lead them to do ? To 
 look down upon their neighbours, — to thank God that 
 they were not as this publican. And what was the conse- 
 quence of that ? That when Christ came and called to 
 them, and would have showed them the way of salvation, 
 their own pride turned their minds from Him; they 
 were righteous already, — they had therefore nothing to 
 repent of : Christ did not come to call the righteous but 
 the sinners to repentance ; and though He called, their 
 ears were dull that they should not hear, and their eyes 
 were blind that they should not see, and their hearts 
 waxed gross lest they should be converted and He should 
 heal them. As the cloud which comes between the sun 
 and the earth, cutting off from it the blessed sunshine 
 which is beaming everywhere else, is drawn up by the 
 very warmth and light which it chills and hides, — so 
 spiritual pride is raised by the very warmth of our own 
 religion as it comes between us and the Sun of Righ- 
 teousness, shutting out His blessed beams from our 
 souls, so that when we should be looking at Him, we 
 can see nothing but the mist that has come up from our- 
 selves. Bear this in mind all through life, and as I am 
 now teaching you your duties as confirmed and perfect 
 Christians from the services in Lent, so I will teach you 
 this from the Ash Wednesday Collect, which, as you 
 know, is repeated after every Collect in the season. Mark 
 
80 WHY THE ASH WEDNESDAY COLLECT 
 
 these little differences in the E/abrics ; you will not lose 
 your time by studying them. The Advent Collect is 
 repeated as well as this, but it is repeated before the Col- 
 lect for the day, because the Advent Collect calls upon 
 us to prepare, and the Sunday Collect shows you the dif- 
 ferent ways of preparing ; but it is not so now : the Ru- 
 bric now tells us that it comes in after the Sunday Col- 
 lect, and the reason is that this Collect is perpetually 
 reminding us of our weakness ; it is like that petition 
 which we put up whenever we hear the commandments, 
 which is not, Thank God, for enabling us to keep them, 
 but. Lord, have mercy upon us for breaking them, and 
 incline our hearts to keep them better for the future. 
 In the first Collect that is read with the Ash Wednesday 
 Collect we pray for charity ; the next Sunday we pray 
 for grace to use abstinence, so that the Spirit may lead 
 us into righteousness and true holiness ; the next we 
 pray for defence from the dangers that beset us ; and so 
 on through Lent ; and when we come to the Confirma- 
 tion Collect, we pray for the manifold gifts of grace, the 
 spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel 
 and ghostly strength, the spirit of knowledge and true 
 godliness, and the spirit of holy fear. Now, lest we 
 should be lifted up by the fancy that we have charity, 
 and that we have righteousness and true holiness, that 
 we have ghostly strength and holy fear, and all those 
 things that we pray for, and that therefore we have a 
 right to be defended from all our enemies (for it is quite 
 true those who are doing their best during this Lent to- 
 wards getting those things are more charitable, more 
 righteous, more holy, more prudent, more careful, and 
 more wise than they were), — but lest they should be 
 lifted up by this, the Ash Wednesday Collect comes in 
 continually, telling us not to rejoice that we are so much 
 better and purer than we were, but to lament that we 
 ever were so sinful as we used to be, — so that lamenting 
 our sins worthily — that is to say, as they ought to be 
 lamented — and acknowledging our wretchedness, we 
 may at some future time obtain /?er/ec/ remission, for the 
 remission we have obtained on confessing our sins is not 
 
IS REPEATED THROUGH LENT. 81 
 
 perfect. There is but one Baptism for tlie remission of 
 sins ; it is conditional — that is to say^ we are forgiven 
 if we worthily lament and do for the fature works meet 
 for repentance. 
 
 Now it behoves ns to bear this in mind all through 
 our preparation for the Easter Communion^ for this^ as 
 I have told you all along, is the type of our resurrection 
 with Christ^ and I am saying this_, as to all, so more 
 especially to those who are starting in life, and, being 
 firmly determined to follow their Master^s steps through 
 it^ are seeking, at the hands of His servant the Bishop, 
 strength to enable them to fulfil their determination. 
 To them I say more particularly, though you are doing 
 your very best_, — though you feel, as you will feel when 
 strengthened by God^s grace, that these things are easier 
 than they were, — do not forget that you are fortifying 
 yourselves with God^s strength, not your own. Do not 
 think_, I come to Church regularly twice every Sunday, 
 and very often in the week besides ; I have given up 
 such and such enjoyments and amusements, because I 
 am preparing for Confirmation, and because it is Lent; 
 I have forgiven So-and-so, who did not deserve it : thank 
 God that I am so much better than such and such of 
 my neighbours, who, so far from going to Church on a 
 week-day, very seldom go to Church at all. Now, I 
 tell you fairly, that if you go on in this way, so far from 
 coming to that Holy Communion worthily, you will be 
 all the worse for your Lent preparations ; you will be 
 just like the Pharisees we have been speaking of, — you 
 will be just like those people that Isaiah speaks of, — for 
 you will fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the 
 fist of wickedness. All that your fasting will do will be 
 to be leading you to look down upon other people, and 
 leading them to think of you as of proud, and conceited, 
 and self-righteous men, who set up themselves above 
 their neighbours ; and thus, if by their fruits you are to 
 judge of works, all that these works of real piety will 
 have produced in you will be a mass of bad feelings, and 
 that not because you will have done any one thing wrong, 
 but that you did not give God the praise. If the devil 
 
 E 3 
 
82 TRUSTINJ& IN OUR OWN STRENGTH. 
 
 lead you into such a snare as this, there is but one way 
 in which you can be saved, and that is the way in which 
 our Lord saved S. Peter, — by His perinitting your own 
 confidence in your own strength to lead you into some 
 great and glaring and open sin, showing you what your 
 self-trust has really brought you to, and that, so far 
 from being better than your neighbours, you are really 
 worse. Thus, by inducing you to begin again your 
 Christian course with a better guide than your own will. 
 He may at last save you, but not otherwise. 
 
 I will tell you what that Ash- Wednesday Collect fol- 
 lowing upon the Sunday Collect will teach you, and if 
 you go by that, you will soon attain to real strength. 
 You go to Church now very much oftener than you did, 
 — pray to God to forgive you for going so seldom before ; 
 you " fast twice in the week^^ (that is to say, you give 
 up your will to God's will), — pray that He would for- 
 give you for having followed your own will before ; you 
 have forgiven your enemy, — pray God to forget that it 
 might be some secret fault of yours that made him your 
 enemy at first ; you have asked forgiveness of some one 
 whom you have ofiended, — pray to God to forgive you 
 for ever having thought of oflPending him ; you cannot 
 but see that you have advanced from that wickedness in 
 which both you and your neighbour were lying, and 
 that now you are better than he, — give God the praise; 
 ask yourselves what God could have seen in you to give 
 you such good thoughts, and show your thankfulness 
 by trying to put them into your neighbour's mind also; 
 and if he harden himself against you, do not be angry 
 and speak slightingly and contemptuously of him, — 
 remember how you used to harden yourself against 
 God. And, above all things, do not say, I am so much 
 better than I was, that I shall go on and get better and 
 better all my life ; I mean to do this, I will do that, I 
 do not care about such and such a temptation now, 
 though the time was when I once could not stand it. 
 This is another snare of the devil, — this is another form 
 of spiritual pride, — this is not trusting in the strength of 
 our blessed Saviour ; it is trusting in your own strength. 
 
TRUSTING IN OUR OWN STRENGTH. 83 
 
 and will in tlie end as surely fail jovl, as it is true that 
 pride goeth before destruction_, and a haughty spirit 
 before a fall. Fear always. Whenever a man ceases to 
 fear^ then he begins to be in danger. Fear always^ and 
 yet trust ; your very fear will make you trust the more^ 
 will lead you always to look to Christ^ so that when 
 He rebukes your too great confidence in yourself^, and^ 
 like S. Peter^ you begin to sink_, you at once cry out to 
 Him and lay hold upon Him^ and He places you again 
 in safety. 
 
VI. 
 
 THE CHRISTIAN'S NOURISHMENT. 
 
 " When Jesus then Ufbed up His eyes, and saw a great company come 
 unto Him, He saith unto PhiUp, Whence shall we buy bread, that these 
 may eat ?" — S. John vi. 5. 
 
 Th e Lesson that we learn from Mid -Lent Sunday is the 
 Holy Communion, a type of our justification in Christ. 
 And this is a doctrine that is not brought upon minds 
 unprepared and unfitted to receive it, for like most other 
 true doctrines of the Bible, it may well, if taken singly, 
 become a dangerous downfall to us ; but we are led to 
 it step after step, and these steps are the doctrines of the 
 Sundays preceding. I am tracing out the life of the 
 Christian man, as opposed to the young or imperfect 
 Christian, from the Sundays in Lent, and I have shown 
 you that, in preparation for that perilous journey through 
 the wilderness of life, we are told to purify ourselves, we 
 are shown our own spiritual weakness, we are assured 
 that God can and will defend us in all spiritual dangers. 
 These are the three steps by which we have, during the 
 last three Sundays, been led to our position to-day ; and 
 on reflecting on these three doctrines, we are brought to 
 ask : God can defend us, no doubt, from all dangers, 
 ghostly and bodily, and from our spiritual enemy ; but 
 what is there in man that the God of heaven should 
 vouchsafe to defend him ? The answer to this comes in 
 this Sunday, and is this : — True, of ourselves, we are of 
 no value, but we are united to Christ, we are members 
 of Christ, and it is by being members of Him that we 
 do become of value in the sight of God, and are thus 
 
SUNDAYS IN LENT. 85 
 
 forgiven. We are of value as being parts of Christ, and 
 are therefore worthy of being defended ; or_, to use the 
 words of the Collect, " though for our evil deeds we do 
 worthily deserve to be punished, yet we are mercifully 
 relieved by God^s grace, through our Lord and Saviour 
 Jesus Christ.^^ 
 
 I mentioned in my last Sermon an arrangement in the 
 services, by which, notwithstanding the high doctrines 
 of our own purity, G-od^s defence and God^s forgiveness, 
 that we are going to treat about, a sense of our own 
 spiritual weakness is always kept before our eyes. I 
 mean the constant repetition of the Ash- Wednesday 
 Collect. 1 will now mention another, by which, not- 
 withstanding the humiliation and self-abasement en- 
 joined throughout the whole of this season, the hope of 
 God's forgiveness through Christ is never suffered to 
 depart from us. Were I to ask any one of you how 
 many days there are in Lent, you would answer me, 
 forty. And you would answer rightly ; and yet if you 
 take your Prayer Books and calculate, you will find that 
 the six weeks of Lent multiplied by seven, to bring 
 them into days, will give forty-two, and that if you add 
 to this Ash-Wednesday, and the three days following, it 
 will make forty-six. How do we account for the six 
 days too many? They are the six Sundays, which, 
 though occurring in Lent, are not of, or belonging to 
 Lent. If you look at your Prayer Books, you wiU find 
 that this is not called the fourth Sunday of Lent, but 
 the fourth Sunday in Lent. Now what lesson do we 
 learn from that ? The Sunday is the weekly comme- 
 moration of our Lord's Resurrection in our Body : that 
 is to say, a weekly proof that our human nature, which 
 had been condemned to death in Adam, who died, has 
 been forgiven in Christ, Who raised it in Himself from 
 the dead. This weekly festival, therefore, coming in con- 
 stantly during the sad and heavy season of Lent, re- 
 minds us, as often as it comes round, that we should not 
 sorrow as men without hope ; that though we are what we 
 acknowledge ourselves in the general collect, wretched, 
 yet that we, the baptized, cannot be so, utterly and 
 
86 THE^ LOAVES AND FISHES. 
 
 hopelessly, because forgiveness_, proved by the resurrec- 
 tion of the body, is one of the three promises we have 
 received at Baptism. 
 
 We will go on to show, from the Gospel of the day, 
 that this forgiveness is due to our being one with Christ, 
 and Christ with us ; or, to use the words of the Cate- 
 chism, to our being members of Christ. 
 
 At first sight, the Gospel of the fourth Sunday in Lent 
 seems but the simple narrative of a very wonderful mi- 
 racle, the feeding of five thousand people with five loaves ; 
 but while we read it, one thing must needs strike us, 
 how is it that the Church has selected this portion of 
 Scripture for two difi*erent Gospels, Mid-Lent Sunday, 
 and the last Sunday after Trinity ; both of them re- 
 markable Sundays, and both of them, by a special pro- 
 vision of the Church, sure to be read every year. This 
 happens to no other portion of the whole Bible, why is 
 it done in this case ? The reason is, that this parable 
 has two meanings, one literal and one spiritual; and 
 both of these of the highest importance. The literal 
 sense we took on the Twenty-fifth Sunday after Trinity, 
 when we saw the whole world anxiously looking out for 
 the Advent of their Saviour, the prophet, whom Moses 
 had predicted should be raised up from among the Jews, 
 like unto himself. We saw the Jews, though mistaking 
 the meaning of much of our Lord's teaching, and many 
 of His miracles, yet struck at once by the resemblance 
 shown in this miracle to Moses feeding the people in the 
 wilderness with bread from heaven, that they cried out 
 with one accord, " Of a truth, this is that Prophet that 
 should come into the world.'^ Now this is its literal 
 meaning, and in that sense it comes in admirably before 
 the Sundays of Advent, which show the coming of Christ 
 in the flesh. But it has also a typical and spiritual 
 meaning, and as such, comes in no less admirably before 
 the great festival of the Resurrection, when all our hopes 
 of happiness depend upon our being in communion 
 with Him Who is our Head. The Church would not 
 be warranted in putting a typical meaning upon it 
 on her own authority, but we take it from the com- 
 
EXPLANATION OP THE TYPE. 87 
 
 ments of our Blessed Saviour Himself^ which you will 
 find in the concluding part of the same chapter, and 
 which I should recommend you all to study closely this 
 evening. 
 
 We will first look at the type. A number of people 
 who had followed Jesus from different cities, and who 
 had been listening to His teaching, found themselves to 
 have been led by Him into a desert place, where they 
 had nothing to eat, and where there was every prospect 
 that they would faint by the way if they attempted to 
 journey back in their own strength. Their blessed 
 Lord, seeing this, had compassion on them. Taking a 
 very small and apparently insufficient portion of bread. 
 He gives it to His disciples ; and on their distributing 
 it to the multitude, it is found to be quite sufficient for 
 all their wants. 
 
 Now what does that typify, but ourselves, who have, 
 according to the teaching of the Church, been following, 
 ever since Christmas, the steps of our Lord and Saviour, 
 and listening to His teaching ? We find that this has 
 led us into the wilderness, — that we are unable of our- 
 selves to help ourselves, — and that the journey is too 
 hard for us, and we stand every chance of fainting by 
 the way. Our Lord, seeing this, and having compas- 
 sion on us, takes a very small portion of bread and wine 
 — a means altogether insufficient to work such great 
 works — distributes to His disciples the Ministers ; they 
 set it before the multitude, who eat and are filled, and 
 return to their homes, strengthened for all necessary 
 work in Christ. Nay, we might even carry on the pa- 
 rable, and talk of gathering up the fragments that re- 
 main, that nothing be lost, distributing them to the 
 communicants afterwards, and eating and drinking them 
 reverently in the Church ; but that would lead us away 
 from our main subject, which is, the parable of the Five 
 Loaves typical of the blessed Communion, whereby we 
 are received by Christ, reconciled to Him, and having 
 had that renewed by the Holy Ghost which had been 
 decayed by the fraud and malice of the devil, or by our 
 own carnal will and frailness, we are preserved and con- 
 
88 THE TYPE EXPLAINED BY CHRIST HIMSELF. 
 
 tinued in the unity of the Church, and are gifted with 
 fresh strength for the continuance of our spiritual jour- 
 ney. This is the other lesson that we learn from this 
 miracle, and this is the reason why, besides forming 
 part of our preparation for the doctrine of Christ as 
 Man in Christmas, it is also part of our preparation for 
 the doctrine of Christ as God in Easter. 
 
 Now, what warrant have we for putting this spiritual 
 interpretation on a plain narrative ? In this first place, 
 the Church evidently takes it in this sense when she 
 couples it with a collect confessing our un worthiness, 
 and yet praying for relief. In its literal sense, the 
 Gospel has nothing to do vrith that, but in its spiritual 
 sense everything. It is the claiming of one of the three 
 promises God has made us in our Baptism — that we 
 should be considered parts of Christ, and strengthened 
 by His Spirit. 
 
 But, in the second place, we have Christ^s own words 
 to show that He meant us to consider the miracle in 
 this light. " When He had returned to the western 
 side of the sea, and still found the same people following 
 Him and seeking Him, He warned them to look for a 
 spiritual meaning in what He had done.^^ This had 
 become quite necessary, because so thoroughly were 
 they impressed with the idea that the great Prophet 
 they had acknowledged was a temporal restorer of their 
 country and nation, that, immediately after the per- 
 formance of this miracle, Jesus had been obliged to 
 leave them to prevent their taking Him forcibly and 
 making Him a king. The very first words He speaks 
 therefore, on seeing them again, are a caution that there 
 is something in all this of a nature far more spiritual 
 than they seemed to have any idea of. '^ Labour not 
 for the meat that perisheth, but for that which endureth 
 unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give 
 you.^^ They say unto Him, *^*^What shall we do that 
 we may work the works of God ?" Jesus tells them 
 that they must believe on Him Whom God had sent. 
 They are yet doubtful, and return to the manna in the 
 wilderness, not quite certain in their minds whether. 
 
PARTAKING OF CHRIST. 89 
 
 after all, this was so great a miracle as tliat of Moses, 
 inasmuch as the bread did not in this case come down 
 from heaven. But He said, evidently regarding the 
 whole transaction in its spiritual sense, " I am the Bread 
 of Life : he that cometh to Me shall never hunger, and 
 he that believeth on Me shall never thirst. You have 
 far higher privileges than your fathers: they did eat 
 manna in the wilderness and are dead, whereas of this 
 Bread a man may eat and not die ; and the Bread that 
 I will give is My Flesh, which I will give for the life of 
 the world." 
 
 There are many lights in which we may profitably 
 regard the Holy Communion. We may speak of it as 
 an act of duty, as an act of obedience, or, higher still, 
 as an act of remembrance, or, again higher, as a means 
 of grace — as a means whereby we are strengthened; 
 but the doctrine of this day seems to place it in the 
 very highest and most spiritual position in which it can 
 be viewed — as a means whereby we partake of the na- 
 ture of Christ. We have no right to forgiveness, we 
 have no right to defence, we have no right to anything 
 at GoD^s hands for our own sakes ; and the more we 
 examine our obedience by the rule of God^s Command- 
 ments, and our Faith by the articles of the Apostles' 
 Creed, the better we shall be convinced of this. We 
 have no right to expect or hope for any of these things 
 for ourselves ; how, then, can we hope for them ? By 
 drawing near to Christ, by being made one with Him, 
 by being in communion with Him, and being considered 
 by God as part of that beloved Son in Whom He is 
 well pleased. We are justified — that is to say, consi- 
 dered just, good, righteous — yet we are not so ; how is 
 this, except by being considered belonging to One Who 
 Himself is just, good, and righteous ? Well might our 
 Saviour say, '^ Except ye eat the Flesh of the Son of 
 Man and drink His Blood, ye have no life in you." 
 How indeed can we ? We have no life in ourselves ; in 
 whom have we life except in Him ? and how can we 
 have life in Him except in the way in which He has 
 given it us ? Why should we try to seek it in any other 
 
90 PARTAKING OF CHRIST, 
 
 way ? And what is that way ? Our Saviour Himself 
 shall tell yon : — 
 
 " Whoso eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood 
 hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day : 
 for My Flesh is meat indeed, and My Blood is drink 
 indeed/' " He that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My 
 Blood dwelleth in Me and I in him/' " As the living 
 Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father, so he 
 that eateth Me shall live by Me/' 
 
 Is not this a plain, downright, open promise, that 
 though we can do nothing of ourselves to help ourselves, 
 yet there is help for us ? Is not the means of this help 
 clearly and distinctly pointed out ? " Whoso eateth My 
 Flesh and drinketh My Blood shall live for ever/' Is 
 not the reason why it must be so set forth as clearly and 
 as distinctly, because " He that eateth My Flesh and 
 drinketh My Blood dwelleth in Me and I in him," — 
 because such a person is considered by God actually 
 part of His holy and just and righteous Son, and is 
 treated accordingly — insomuch that, as the Son lives 
 by the Father, so we who thus become part of the Son 
 shall live by Him. 
 
 Is not this indeed the bread that came down from 
 heaven ? Is it not so in a far higher sense than the 
 manna of which our fathers ate ? That was indeed a 
 type of this : that preserved them alive through all their 
 wanderings in the desert, which typifies this life to the 
 Christian ; in the barren and desolate regions it sus- 
 tained their life, and gave them strength to reach the 
 promised land, which to us typifies heaven. But, after 
 all, it was but a type : " Your fathers did eat manna in 
 the wilderness and are dead." This is the reality, of 
 which that was merely the shadow, — this is the true 
 bread from heaven, he that eateth of which shall live 
 for ever. 
 
 The Communion of this Sunday is the last Commu- 
 nion from which you will be excluded. Before we again 
 meet at the Table of our Lord, you will have received 
 your mission in life, and will have been endued with 
 strength to perform it. The next call to spiritual food 
 
THE REAL BREAD FROM HEAVEN. 91 
 
 and nourishment will be made to you as perfected 
 Christians — that is to say, as Christians entitled to the 
 full privileges of your calling. See that you do not 
 neglect it. You cannot work in the strength of your 
 Saviour unless you are united to Him, nor can you 
 plead His righteousness and His merits, and the atone- 
 ment which He has made for your sins and your short- 
 comings, unless He is '^in you and you in Him.'^ 
 
SPECIAL LECTUEES 
 
 <Bn i^atters of (Scnscience, 
 
 ADDRESSED TO THE CATECHUMENS AND THEIR SPONSORS 
 IN THE SCHOOL-ROOM OR IN THE CHURCH^ ON WEEK- 
 DAY EVENINGS : TOGETHER WITH QUESTIONS FOR SELF- 
 EXAMINATION ON MATTERS OF CONSCIENCE. ^ 
 
 LECTURE I. 
 
 You will remember tliat when we considered the cove- 
 nant of grace, we found one part of it to consist of faith 
 and obedience 2 — -two qualities which we separate for 
 convenience of description, but which in practice cannot 
 really be separated at all. For, in fact, we obey God 
 because we believe Him ; and we should not obey if we 
 did not believe. On this necessary union of works and 
 faith I need not enlarge to-day — not only because I 
 
 1 The Parson must remember that these are not intended as catecheti- 
 cal questions, but as helps to self-examination. They should be read to 
 the Catechumens as part of the Lecture, and then given them as a guide 
 to their own meditations. 
 
 In practice these generally do form the subjects of subsequent conver- 
 sations, not only between the Parson and his Catechumens, but also be- 
 tween the Parson and the Sponsors. StOl, it will be better that the sub- 
 ject should be started by the Catechiimen himself, who will generally 
 come of his own accord for assistance or explanation. Conscience should 
 not be treated with the rough hand with which we treat intellect. Some 
 of coiu'se there wOl always be who will take no trouble about the matter, 
 but upon characters like this there is little hope of makiag impression 
 at all. 
 
 2 See Sermon 'No. I. 
 
LECTURES ON CONSCIENCE. 93 
 
 have read mucli to you out of tlie Homilies about it^ 
 but because I spoke of it last Sunday^ wben I explained 
 the difference between a lively faith and a dead faith^ 
 showing you that the latter is a belief in any fact^ such 
 as a fact in history^ or a fact in geography^ or a fact in 
 natural philosophy^ which does not concern you at all, 
 and by which your own conduct is by no means affected 5 
 while the former is that which so far concerns you, that 
 not only you think it true, but, on account of your 
 thinking so, you act differently from the way in which 
 you would have acted did you not think it true. Now, 
 this change of conduct on account of your faith we call 
 obedience, and sometimes duty, and sometimes also 
 works. The Homilies call them works which spring out 
 of a lively faith. 
 
 To ascertain whether our works do spring out of a 
 lively faith, we are told to try ourselves by the rule of 
 GoD^s commandments. This at once tries our works 
 and our faith — our belief in the God Who gave the 
 commandments, and the effect that belief has produced 
 upon our conduct. And this is the way we are told to 
 prepare ourselves for the Communion, because the Com- 
 munion is a test to our own consciences of our state 
 towards God — it is a type of heaven. To this Communion, 
 and consequently to heaven, we might be admissible, in 
 two ways, either by never having broken God^s com- 
 mandments, or from having been forgiven the breaking 
 of them for Christ^s sake ; and we must remember that 
 when we judge ourselves and pronounce that we are 
 unfit for the Communion because we have broken God's 
 commandments, and also unfit because God has not, 
 even for Christ's sake, forgiven us, we are pronouncing 
 our own condemnation : we say that we have sinned, 
 and that God has not forgiven us, and that we are in a 
 state of damnation. I can understand a man's con- 
 science keeping him from the Holy Communion, but I 
 cannot understand that man having a moment's peace 
 while it does so ; because in pronouncing himself unfit 
 and too bad to be forgiven, he has himself condemned 
 himself to hell. 
 
94 SELF-EXAMINATION. 
 
 I will now place your duty before you by putting 
 direct questions to your consciences — dividing them 
 according to God^s commandments. This is your pre- 
 paration for the Communion, and this is your prepara- 
 tion for heaven. Your conscience must acquit you as 
 you hear and reflect upon the questions, or, you must 
 have repented and been forgiven for Christ^s sake; or, 
 you must be cast out when you die from the presence of 
 God. It is for you to determine in which of these three 
 states you now are. 
 
 I will begin with a few preliminary questions on the 
 authority of the Commandments, and our peculiar rea- 
 sons as Christians for obeying them. 
 
 QUESTIONS FOR SELF-EXAMINATION. 
 
 1. Have I well considered the peculiar circumstances 
 under which God^s chosen people of old received the 
 Commandments — that it was just after they had been 
 saved by a Great Deliverer from the house of their 
 bondage and from the hand of their oppressor, and 
 placed in safety and in freedom by their baptism in the 
 Red Sea ? 
 
 2. Have I remembered that I was myself once under 
 a more grievous bondage — in the hands of a harder 
 taskmaster ; that I was saved by a Great Deliverer, and 
 that God did not require of me obedience to His Com- 
 mandments till He had first placed me also in safety and 
 freedom by the water of baptism ? 
 
 3. Have I reinembered that if obedience, as a proof 
 of thankfulness, was required of the Israelite, still more 
 is it required of me the Christian ? 
 
 4. Have I remembered that God required obedience 
 of the Israelites because they were His people, and that 
 He was their God ; and that I therefore should glorify 
 God with my body and my spirit for the very same rea- 
 son : because I was made His child, and because I was 
 bought for a price. 
 
 5. Have I always considered that the Commandments 
 are the laws of Him Who shall judge me ; and that I 
 
SELF-EXAMINATION. 95 
 
 must stand one day face to face with Him Who gave 
 them, to be judged according to the deeds done in the 
 body? 
 
 6. Have I always considered that these Command- 
 ments were the very laws I promised to obey when I was 
 first made a member of Christ ? Have I always then 
 borne in mind that by breaking my own part of the 
 promise, I run a risk of being cut off from Him ? 
 
 7. Have I considered that each commandment is ad- 
 dressed to me in particular, not to me in common with 
 others ; that it is, Thou shalt not do this or that ? Have 
 I always borne this in mind, or have I proved that I did 
 not, by excusing myself under the plea that I was not 
 much worse than my neighbours ? 
 
 8. If I have remembered the similarity between my 
 condition and that of the Israelite, have I also remem- 
 bered the great difference that is between us? That 
 though God required a specific service from him, yet in 
 my case He has left it to my own sense of gratitude 
 to determine the amount of my own duty — " if ye love 
 Me, keep My commandments ?" Have I then by doing 
 little, proved to Him and to myself that I have little 
 thankfulness and little love ? 
 
 LECTUEE II. 
 
 THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 
 
 We are all of us, I trust, by this time seriously pre- 
 paring ourselves for the great Communion of Easter. 
 We are, I hope, examining the state of our own souls, 
 and trying how far we are fit to join the Communion of 
 Saints at the resurrection, of which this Communion at 
 Easter is the type and remembrancer; we are seeing 
 what in us has been decayed by the fraud and malice of 
 the devil, and what by our own carnal will and frailness, 
 
96 NECESSARY TO RECKON OUR SINS. 
 
 and have begun to pray God to renew these things in 
 US by the grace of the Holy Gthost. 
 
 You know that we can never dare even to pray to 
 God upon our own merits, much less ask Him for His 
 very greatest blessings the Body and Blood of our Lord 
 and Saviour. That when we come to Him at all, we 
 come to Him but as forgiven sinners, and ask Him to 
 open our lips^ that our mouths may show forth His praise, 
 only after having recounted our sins in the general con- 
 fession_, and received His gracious pardon in the ab- 
 solution. 
 
 I have frequently told you that God does not forgive 
 our sins only because in a general way_, and, as a matter 
 of course, we say, forgive us our sins, and call ourselves 
 miserable offenders; but that He requires us first to 
 think over what particular sins we have been commit- 
 ting, and then by thinking of those sins when we repeat 
 the General Confession, to make it our own particular 
 private confession, and that in the Absolution God 
 sends by His Ambassador forgiveness of those sins which 
 we have thus confessed. 
 
 When we know how deceitful the heart is^ there is 
 great danger, lest we deceive ourselves, and miss some 
 sins that we have committed, and thus lose God^s for- 
 giveness for them^ which is granted, as you know, only 
 to confessed and repented sins. 
 
 And if there is a danger of this in our every-day ser- 
 vices, and a fear lest our prayers be not heard, because 
 we have still about us some unforgiven sin ; how much 
 greater a fear ought we to have, lest we misuse the 
 Body and Blood of Christ, which you know from the 
 Catechism, is verily and indeed taken and received by 
 all, but which is received unto salvation by the faithful 
 only in the Lord^s Supper. It is very possible that one 
 sin forgotten by us, but remembered by God, may be the 
 means not only of depriving us of the strengthening and 
 refreshing of our souls for a whole month, but of turning 
 to our destruction that grace which we have received. 
 
 How then, you will say, are we ever sure ? What 
 can we do to remember all our sins ? 
 
FIRST COMMANDMENT. 97 
 
 Whenever you are in doubt about spiritual affairs, the 
 best thing you can do is to see whether the Church does 
 not give you some advice, and if she does, to follow it 
 at once. You may depend upon it, that which has been 
 done for many hundred years, and was very likely done 
 by the Apostles themselves, and by those that were 
 taught by them, is most likely to be right. Now the 
 Church says, the way and means thereto, is first to ex- 
 amine your lives and conversation by the rule of God^s 
 commandments. And this is natural enough. Though 
 the whole Bible is Gon^s word, yet the Commandments 
 and the Lord's Prayer are more particularly so, because 
 they came directly from Him ; just as though this whole 
 Church is holy because God has chosen to put His 
 name here, and call it His house, yet the chancel is the 
 most holy, because His Commandments are proclaimed 
 from it, and the strengthening of our souls by His Body 
 ^and Blood is there imparted to us. 
 
 The Commandments, then, are the rule of our life, 
 because they are God's word, and consequently our de- 
 parting from them is the measure of our sin. Let us, 
 therefore, take them one by one, and- examine them. 
 David tells us that they are exceeding broad ; that is, 
 they mean much more than they say. We will examine 
 them therefore closely, and that we may do this the 
 better, and think upon it after we have done it, we will 
 take but one for each evening. 
 
 questions for self-examination. 
 
 Thou shalt have none other gods but Me. 
 
 1. Have I considered that God is at once the wisdom, 
 the justice, and the goodness of the universe. Have I 
 then always felt a thankfulness under His corrections, a 
 patience and resignation under His dispensations, and 
 a constant desire and wish to obey Him ; that is to say, 
 have I always considered Him as my God ? 
 
 2. Can I remember having ever set up any other 
 gods in my heart, though I might have been ashamed 
 
98 FIRST COMMANDMENT. 
 
 to set up these stumbling-blocks of my iniquity before 
 my face ; for instance — 
 
 3. Can I remember ever having made self-will my 
 God, by persevering in a course of conduct which my 
 conscience disapproved,, or by following my own crude 
 notions of what I should wish His word to mean, ra- 
 ther than the interpretations received from the founda- 
 tion of the Church He gave me ; or by following 
 teachers of my ovm choosing rather than taking those 
 which God has provided for me ? 
 
 4. Can I remember that I ever made pleasure my 
 God, by attending to, and following after it, when I 
 ought to have been attending to, and following my duty 
 to God. 
 
 5. Have I ever made mammon my God, by attending 
 so closely to what I called my business, so as to allow 
 this to interfere with my real business, my duty to God. 
 Have I always sought ^rs^ the kingdom of heaven and 
 its righteousness, faithfully trusting that all these things 
 would be added to me ? 
 
 6. Have I ever made pride my God, by valuing my- 
 self and my own deeds above those of other men ; thus 
 secretly in my heart trusting in my own work for sal- 
 vation, and despising those of others ? 
 
 7. Have I ever made any created thing my God, by 
 setting my affections so strongly upon it, as to neglect 
 my duty for it while it was present with me ; or by for- 
 getting my faith and trustfulness, and murmuring when 
 it was taken away. 
 
 8. If I can remember having at any time of my life 
 failed in any of these points, then surely I have broken 
 the First Commandment, and not loved the Lord my 
 God with all my heart. Let me turn to Him in peni- 
 tence, and pray that for Christ^s sake He would blot 
 out that sin. 
 
 9. If, on the other hand, my conscience does not ac- 
 cuse me in any of these points, let me first pray that 
 God would enlighten it, and that my heart deceive me 
 not. And then let me thank Him with my whole heart, 
 that the Holy Ghost, which was shed upon me at my 
 
SECOND COMMANDMENT. 99 
 
 baptism, has not as yet been withdrawn, but has so 
 effectually helped me, that I have worshipped God with 
 my whole heart. 
 
 This to be repeated at the end of the Questions upon every Command- 
 
 When I have sufficiently thought of these things, let 
 me pray that the Lord would have mercy upon me for 
 any breaking of this Commandment in my life past, and 
 that for the rest of my life He would incline my heart 
 to keep this law. 
 
 LECTUEE III. 
 
 THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. 
 
 The First Commandment has taught me to worship 
 God with all my heart, mind, and soul ; but as God 
 made our bodies as well as our souls — as Christ will 
 raise again our bodies as well as our souls — as the Holy 
 Ghost makes our bodies His dwelling-place, as well as 
 puts good thoughts into our souls, — our worship cannot 
 be considered perfect unless that body also take part 
 in it. 
 
 It is a very great mistake to think that, if we say our 
 prayers, it matters very little how we say them or where 
 we say them. Everything that God has made must wor- 
 ship Him by doing the duty for which it was made. 
 Things without sense do : the sun runs its appointed 
 course, and gives us light and darkness and winter and 
 summer ; the moon gives us the regular tides ; the 
 birds and beasts each do their appointed work in pre- 
 venting any particular created thing from increasing so 
 much upon us as to do us hurt. All these serve God 
 in their own stations, — surely, then, our bodies should 
 do the same. If God has given us a tongue, it should 
 praise Him : if He has given us knees, they should bow 
 before Him. He does not say that they shall not do their 
 
 f3 
 
100 HEREDITARY SINS. 
 
 work by being employed in our own service ; what He 
 does say is_, that that work is to be sanctified by dedi- 
 cating some portion of it to Himself. 
 
 This Commandment teaches ns that there are certain 
 things to be reverenced^ because God has separated 
 them to Himself. Bishop Ken, in his '^'^ Practice of 
 Divine Love/^ says, when speaking of this Command- 
 ment, '^^ O my God ! for Thy dearest sake give me grace 
 to pay a religious and suitable veneration to all sacred 
 persons, or places, or things, which are Thine by solemn 
 dedication, and separated for the uses of Divine love and 
 the communications of Thy grace, or which may pro- 
 mote the order of Thy worship, or the edification of 
 faithful people." And this is evident enough from the 
 Commandment itself. If we are not to bow down to 
 and outwardly reverence anything that is false, it follows 
 that we are to bow down and outwardly reverence any- 
 thing that is true. The warning of this Commandment 
 is very singular, and very well worthy of attention ; and 
 that is, that the punishment due upon our breaking it 
 falls upon our children unto the third and fourth gene- 
 ration. Now, one reason of that is, that when we fail 
 to worship God as we ought inwardly, or with our souls 
 — that is to say, break the First Commandment — we 
 hurt ourselves no doubt, and are punished ourselves ; 
 but forasmuch as it is inwardly, and that people do not 
 see it, we do not thereby set a bad example, and thus 
 we hurt no one but ourselves. When, on the other 
 hand, we break the Second Commandment, which re- 
 lates more to bodily worship, which other people can 
 see, and when we outwardly offend, either by bowing 
 down to what we ought not, or by not bowing down to 
 what we ought, then we set a bad example to others, 
 especially our children, who, trained up by our outward 
 irreverence and breaking of the Second Commandment 
 with the body, soon learn to be irreverent inwardly, and 
 forget to worship God with their soul. Thus they are 
 punished even to the third and fourth generation, for 
 their own sins no doubt, but the habits which taught 
 them those sins they learnt of us. 
 
SECOND COMMANDMENT. 101 
 
 We have now and then an instance of a child misbe- 
 having himself at Church ; can we not trace that to the 
 example before that child's eyes of grown up men and 
 women sitting at their ease, and sometimes putting them- 
 selves into unseemly postures, when they ought to be 
 bowing down and worshipping. There are from fifteen 
 to twenty children who come to Church every morning 
 and kneel in the chancel ; I have a good many round 
 me at this moment ; I never saw one of them misbehave 
 themselves. They certainly are worshipping God with 
 their bodies outwardly, and I believe they are worship- 
 ping Him inwardly in their souls also. And why is 
 that ? Because they see every one about them doing 
 the same thing, and therefore they get the habit of it. 
 Do not be selfish, — do not say this posture does very 
 well for me, I can pray so very well ; recoUect the influ- 
 ence your outward behaviour has upon others, and fear 
 to show the appearance of disrespect to God, even though 
 you really do respect Him ; not only that you should 
 not be punished yourselves, but that your children should 
 not suff'er for it in the third and fourth generation. I 
 admit that, in our high- walled pews, it is very difficult 
 to put ourselves into a proper kneeling position, but 
 difficult is one thing, and impossible is another, and the 
 attempt is worth the making, were it only for our ex- 
 ample and the teaching of our children. I will go on 
 with the questions, which I hope you wiU think about 
 between this and our next evening lecture. 
 
 questions for self-examination. 
 
 Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven 
 image, nor the likeness of any thing that is in 
 heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the 
 
 WATER UNDER THE EARTH. ThOU SHALT NOT BOW DOWN 
 
 to them, nor worship them : for i the lord thy 
 God am a jealous God, and visit the sins of the 
 fathers upon the children, unto the third and 
 
 fourth GENERATION OF THEM THAT HATE Me, AND SHOW 
 
102 SECOND COMMANDMENT. 
 
 MERCY UNTO THOUSANDS IN THEM THAT LOVE Me, AND 
 KEEP My COMMANDMENTS. 
 
 1 . Since^ as man, I consist of a visible body as well 
 as of an invisible soul_, and both belong to God, if my 
 conscience does not accuse me of forsaking God in my 
 soul, bave I always been equally ready to pay Him His 
 due reverence with my body ? 
 
 2. Have I always reverenced the House of God be- 
 cause it is the place where He has chosen to put His 
 Name ? — the Priest of my own parish, because He chose 
 him to be His Ambassador and representative to me ? 
 — the font, because He made it to me as the river Jordan 
 or the pool of Siloam, to wash away the leprosy of my 
 sin? — the Holy Table, because He appointed it as the 
 place where my soul is strengthened and refreshed by 
 His Body and Blood? 
 
 3. Have I ever dishonoured these places by careless, 
 irreverent, unbecoming outward behaviour, or the Minis- 
 ter whom He has chosen, by inconsiderate and foolish 
 remarks on his teaching, or by holding him as an in- 
 structor whom I may criticise, rather than as a mes- 
 senger of God whom I must esteem for the sake of Him 
 "Who sent him ; or by regarding the sermon, which is 
 the teaching of man, above the lessons, and prayers, and 
 psalms, which are the worship of God ? 
 
 4. Have I reflected on the severity of the temporal 
 punishment which God inflicted on the nation of Israel 
 for sins relating to the outward worship of God ? Have 
 I compared them with those He has inflicted on this 
 country, and has this made me careful for my own part 
 to keep closely and literally to the outward forms of 
 worship appointed by my Church ? 
 
 5. Have I always bowed down myself before Him 
 "Whom I worshipped as my God, meekly kneeling on 
 my knees in prayer, and thereby showing outwardly and 
 visibly the difference I make in my heart between Him 
 and all created things ? 
 
 6. Have I always been sufficiently thankful that God 
 has removed from me the temptation to bow down to 
 
THIRD COMMANDMENT. 103 
 
 images or pictures either of Himself or of any of His 
 creatures^ — that He has turned my heart from all desire 
 of giving to any of His saints the honour due to Him 
 alone, and removed the custom of it from the land 
 wherein I was born ? Do I show my thankfulness by 
 my charitable feelings and expressions towards those 
 who have not enjoyed the same advantages that I have ? 
 7. If in thankfulness for these mercies I can say in 
 my heart that I have never fallen into the sins of irrever- 
 ence and profanity, may I be sufficiently grateful that 
 in the devotion of my body to His service, God has given 
 me so great a safeguard for the devotion of my soul. 
 
 LECTURE IV. 
 
 THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 
 
 There is one general rule that will help us better than 
 anything else to try ourselves whether we are in the 
 habit of keeping the first four Commandments, and that 
 is, to ask ourselves whether we remember God always ? 
 — whether He is present with us in our thoughts, what- 
 ever we do ? If we get ourselves into the habit of set- 
 ting Him before us, the Psalmist tells us that we shall 
 never fall. And why is that ? Let us imagine the case 
 of an earthly master : suppose our master were always 
 standing over us in our work, — I am afraid most people 
 must admit that work would be better done : suppose 
 we were looking over a gentleman^ s house, — should we 
 not behave in a quieter and more respectful manner if 
 the master of the house were himself showing it to us ? 
 —or again, when we speak of a man in his absence, do 
 we always speak of him in the same respectful terms 
 that we should use if we were speaking before him ? 
 Now this will give us a clear idea of the first, second, 
 and third Commandments. We shall understand that 
 we oflPend God when we do not worship Him with our 
 
104 A TRIAL OF FAITH* 
 
 souls, and when we do not worship Him with our bodies, 
 and when we do not worship Him with our voices, and 
 that all for the same reason, — because we do not re- 
 member Him — we do not think Him present. Careless 
 behaviour at church, and speaking lightly and irrever- 
 ently of sacred things, are but two signs of this forget- 
 fulness, which is so offensive to God, and you may easily 
 convince yourselves of it. Picture to yourselves Jesus 
 Christ standing before you and looking at you when 
 you are lounging about or laughing in church ; fancy 
 Him listening to you when you are making light of His 
 holy Name, or anything that He has set apart for Him- 
 self, such as His Church, His Book, His Ministers, and 
 then ask yourselves, would you nnder those circum- 
 stances do what you are now doing? And this, too, 
 will show you the reason why these things are so dis- 
 pleasing to God. You know well enough that without 
 faith it is impossible to please Him. There is no saying 
 so common in your mouths as this. Many people say 
 that faith in Christ is the one thing necessary, — the 
 sign of standing or falling, — and so it is. But what is 
 faith ? These people do not consider that. How can 
 men have faith who have been told that where two or 
 three are gathered together in His Name, there is their 
 Lord in the midst of them, and yet, when two or three 
 are gathered together in His Name, behave as they cer- 
 tainly would never behave if they saw Him ? Or how 
 have they faith who use His holy Name and His Word 
 lightly and in^everently, and in a manner in which they 
 certainly would not use it if they saw Him listening ? 
 If they behave as they would not behave in His presence, 
 is not this a proof to themselves and their neighbours 
 that they do not believe that He is present, or, in other 
 words, that they do not believe what He says? and it 
 they do not believe what He says, how have they faith ? 
 What is faith, if that is not ? — and without faith, as they 
 all know, it is impossible to please God. This, there- 
 fore, is the way in which we must regard taking God^s 
 Name in vain ; whether we do it by calling Him to wit- 
 ness to an oath or a promise which we do not keep, or 
 
THIRD COMMANDMENT. 105 
 
 whether we do it by not honouring His holy Name or 
 His Word_, in whatever way it is done^ the sin is the 
 same^ — it is a proof of want of faith. It may be done 
 in thoughtlessness,, you may say; true^ so it may, and 
 if repented immediately and deeply the sin is not so bad ; 
 but then it proves that, at that time at least, we were not 
 thinking of God, — that at all events Gtod was not in all 
 our thoughts. Now let us see what an irreverent habit 
 proves : is it not that God is not in any of our thoughts, 
 — that we have let our minds go so far from Him that 
 we are unable to think of Him at all ? Surely this must 
 be a dangerous state, and the sooner we examine into it 
 the better. We will suppose that we have satisfied our 
 consciences with respect to the first and second Com- 
 mandments, — the worshipping of God with our souls 
 and with our bodies, — either by convincing ourselves that 
 our own watchfulness and our diligent use of God^s 
 grace has kept us from breaking them, or that we have 
 confessed and deeply lamented the commission of those 
 sins, — let us therefore advance one step in our examina- 
 tion, and prove our faith by another test. 
 
 questions por self-examination. 
 
 Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy 
 God in vain : for the Lord will not hold him 
 guiltless that taketh His Name in vain. 
 
 1 . I have examined myself thus far, and I am thankful 
 that my conscience does not reproach me with want of 
 love to God in my soul, or want of reverence to Him in 
 my body. Am I as clear from the sin of want of rever- 
 ence to His Name ? 
 
 2. In taking any customary oaths, whether before 
 magistrates or other authorized persons, have I always 
 at the time remembered with reverence the great God 
 Whose Name was on my lips ? or did I consider the oath 
 part of the necessary and common routine of duty ? 
 
 3. I trust I have never taken a false oath ; but have 
 
 F 3 
 
106 THIRD COMMANDMENT. 
 
 I ever kept back part of the tnitlij or evaded what is 
 called the letter of the law ? 
 
 4. Have I ever been contented with what is called 
 keeping an oath in the spirit — that is^ keeping as mnch 
 of it as suits me— when I had the power of keeping it 
 to the letter ? 
 
 5. Have I reflected that a promise made in the pre- 
 sence of God is in fact an oath? Have I always re- 
 membered the sanctity thns thrown on my own promises 
 to God, whether at my Baptism or at Confirmation^ or 
 privately when approaching the Lord^s Table, or in 
 Matrimony_, or in Ordination, or in any other matter? 
 
 6. When therefor e_, startled by some particular sin I 
 had been committing, I promised before God repentance 
 and amendment of life, have I always taken care that 
 these promises were not made rashly and without con- 
 sideration, and that they were remembered afterwards 
 as a means whereby according as they are kept, God^s 
 Name is glorified or taken in vain ? 
 
 7. I have not fallen into that foolish and wicked 
 custom of society by which God's Name is taken in vain, 
 commonly called swearing; but have I been equally 
 careful about lightly making mention of Him, or any- 
 thing sanctified to Him, such as His House, His Minis- 
 ters, His Service, His Word and Sacraments? 
 
 8. Have I ever quoted the Bible in light conversa- 
 tion, or alluded to passages of it lightly or in reference 
 to trivial or laughable subjects? 
 
 9. If at any time I have been made aware of having 
 committed any of these things, have I at the time suffi- 
 ciently laid to heart what was meant by God not hold- 
 ing me guiltless ? Have I worthily lamented my great 
 sin, and besought forgiveness through His Son ? 
 
FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 107 
 
 LECTURE V. 
 
 THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 Of course you remember S. Peter's vision of the 
 sheet let down from heaven that was filled with all 
 sorts of animals^ which S. Peter^ who was then fasting, 
 was told to take and eat of. You remember how he hesi- 
 tated about it because some of them were what was then 
 called unclean, that is, forbidden ; and how God's own 
 voice told him that he must not consider common or 
 unclean that which God Himself had sanctified. No 
 doubt this was meant to show S. Peter that the Jews 
 were God's elect, only because God had been pleased 
 to elect them, and that whatever He chose to call by 
 His Name would become holy for that very reason, and 
 therefore must not be called common. 
 
 But this vision has a somewhat wider interpretation. 
 Not only whatever people He has chosen, but also what- 
 ever things He has chosen, are more peculiarly His, and 
 therefore holier than other things. We had some ex- 
 perience of this last Wednesday, when we saw that the 
 reason why we ought to reverence the Name of God was 
 that He had chosen it to be His Name. So it is with 
 the Sabbath-day. It is holier than other days only be- 
 cause God has chosen it from other days and called it 
 His. This is another instance of the general rule. Every 
 thing that God has put His mark on, every thing that 
 He has set apart for His own. His word. His ordinances, 
 His house, His people, become to us things which God 
 has cleansed, and which we must not call common. 
 '^ There is just the same sort of difference between them 
 and common things, as there is between a garden and 
 the open downs. No one would think of riding over a 
 garden lawn, and trampling down the flowers ; but in 
 riding along any of our roads, no one would feel the 
 least scruple about riding on the turf at the side. Just 
 
108 WHY SOME THINGS ARE GOD^S 
 
 the same difference as there is between that open ground 
 and a cultivated garden is there also between worldly 
 days, worldly books^ worldly names_, and worldly people, 
 and GoD^s day_, God's Name, Gon's Book, and God's 
 people. The former are common, and may be treated 
 as such ; the latter are not common, and may not be 
 treated as such. In one word, that which belongs to 
 God may not be treated as if it belonged to us." In 
 the words of Augustus Hare, 
 
 '' It is true that in one sense everything belongs to 
 God; for everything was made by Him. ^The whole 
 earth is the Lord's and aU that therein is.' In this 
 view of the matter, every day may be called the Lord's 
 Day as well as Sunday — so, too, every man may be 
 called His as well as His very Apostles. In this sense 
 all are His — that is, we are His property and His sub- 
 jects, because He is the Maker of heaven and earth. 
 Therefore, those who are heartily desirous of doing 
 right, and of giving God His own, as far as may be, 
 would never think of unhallowing or profaning any one 
 act or moment of their lives. They would never think 
 of keeping back any part of their time or of their 
 thoughts from God's service, because they know that 
 He has a right to every part of them, and that they 
 ought to be wholly and altogether His. In this spirit 
 the Apostle bids us pray always, which means, be always 
 acting as in the presence of God ; or again, whether ye 
 eat, or drink, or whatever ye do, do all to the glory of 
 God — that is, remember God in the smallest actions of 
 your lives as well as the greatest. 
 
 " But though this be true, it by no means follows that 
 some things may not belong to God more nearly and 
 more peculiarly than others. Monday, for example, be- 
 longs to God as well as Sunday ; but it does not belong 
 to Him so closely or so much, for the best of all possible 
 reasons, because He has not been pleased to make it so. 
 He is by right the Master and owner of every day in the 
 week, and to show that He is so. He has chosen which- 
 ever of them He pleased. And what do we show when 
 we set it apart and employ it in His worship ? Why, 
 
MORE THAN OTHERS, 109 
 
 we show our faith — we show that we believe Him to be 
 thd Master and owner of our whole time." 
 
 And this is the object and meaning of all these Com- 
 mandments. We worship God in our thoughts — well 
 and good — but, when we kneel before Him we acknow- 
 ledge that our bodies are His; when we praise Him 
 aloud, we acknowledge that our voices are His ; when 
 we attend His worship at His house on His day, we 
 acknowledge that our time is His. Or, take it the other 
 way — when we bow down to anything else, or do not 
 bow down to Him, we say we may do what we please 
 with our bodies ; when we take His name in vain, we 
 say we may do what we please with our speech ; when 
 we stay away from Church, we say we may do what we 
 please with our time. It is not a question of outward 
 form, but it is a question of faith, or no faith, when we, 
 by staying away from Church, call our time our own, or 
 when, by coming to Church and keeping holy the Lord^s 
 Day, we consider Sunday more entirely and peculiarly 
 the LoRD^s Day than any of the other six. Let us, 
 therefore, ask ourselves a few questions. 
 
 questions for self-examination. 
 
 Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath-day. 
 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all that thou 
 
 hast to do ; BUT THE SEVENTH DAY IS THE SaBBATH OF 
 
 THE Lord thy God. In it thou shalt do no manner 
 
 OF WORK, THOU, AND THY SON, AND THY DAUGHTER, THY 
 MAN-SERVANT AND THY MAID-SERVANT, THY CATTLE, AND 
 THE STRANGER THAT IS WITHIN THY GATES. FoR IN SIX 
 
 DAYS THE Lord made Heaven and earth, the sea, and 
 
 ALL THAT IN THEM IS, AND RESTED THE SEVENTH DAY j 
 WHEREFORE THE LoRD BLESSED THE SEVENTH DAY, AND 
 HALLOWED IT. 
 
 1. GoD^s work of creation was complete by the Sab- 
 bath — His work of redemption by the Lord^s Day. Am 
 I grateful for my creation and redemption ? and do I 
 show my gratitude outwardly, by reverencing the day 
 by which those blessings are commemorated ? 
 
110 FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 2. Have I remembered that all my time was God^s 
 giftj and have I therefore sanctified it by dedicating to 
 Him the portion on which He has set His Name ? 
 
 3. Have I been sufficiently mindful of His goodness 
 in thus setting apart a certain time from the business of 
 the world, and giving me leisure, opportunity and incite- 
 ment to seek first His kingdom and its righteousness ? 
 
 4. Have I considered Sunday as an opportunity of 
 laying up a store of good resolutions, sanctified by 
 prayer, and strengthened by that grace which may be 
 obtained only through God^s ordinances, to be put in 
 practice throughout the week, or have I shut up my 
 Christianity with my Prayer Book, and thought no 
 more of it till next Sunday ? 
 
 5. Have I always considered that each indi\ddual 
 Sunday teaches its own peculiar lesson of doctrine or 
 practice, as shown in its Gospel and Epistle ? have I 
 endeavoured each Sunday to trace this out, and to 
 meditate upon it duiing the week ? 
 
 6. Have I shown my reverence for God^s day by ab- 
 staining on it from the business of the world ? 
 
 7. When I laid aside the business of the world on 
 that day, did I ever take my own pleasure on it, or did 
 I as a matter of constant duty consecrate the day by 
 public as weU as private devotion ? 
 
 8. Was my Sunday a day of rest or a day of idleness ? 
 
 9. Have I ever sufiered a light excuse, such as dis- 
 tance, cold, heat, bad weather, to make me forsake the 
 assembling myself with my brethren on that day ? or 
 have I considered Church as an indispensable duty ? 
 
 10. Have I been as careful of those committed to my 
 charge, so as to see that they did what I considered ne- 
 cessary for me to do for my own salvation — remember- 
 ing that they as Avell as I were once under bondage ? 
 
 11. Have I endeavoured to keep these four command- 
 ments, not as so many difrerent commandments, choos- 
 ing for myself which of them suits my own particular 
 temperament, but as four connected branches of one 
 great commandment, teaching me with respect (1) to 
 my soul, (2) to my body, (3) to my words, and (4) to 
 
FIFTH COMMANDMENT. Ill 
 
 my time, the one great lesson to love the Lord my God 
 with my whole heart ? And, 
 
 12. Have I considered how peculiarly binding it is on 
 me, as one of God^s chosen people, to keep the Com- 
 mandments of Him Who chose me ? 
 
 LECTURE VI. 
 
 THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 In examining ourselves on the Commandments of the 
 second table, we shall do well always to bear in mind 
 our Saviotjr^s assertion, that " the second is like unto 
 it." That is to say, the Commandments of the second 
 table are like those of the first ; and that does not mean 
 only, given by the same authority, but that the Com- 
 mandments themselves are alike. S. John shows us how 
 this is, when he says, that if a man love not his brother 
 whom he hath seen, it cannot be expected that he will 
 love God Whom he has not seen. There is about the same 
 difference between the Commandments of the first table 
 and those of the second as there is between determining 
 to do a thing and doing it. We love God, and we worship 
 Him, we praise Him, we pray to Him, we kneel down 
 before Him, and keep holy His day, and honour His 
 house ; but many of us wish to show some sign that we 
 are in earnest, that it is not only the worship of the lips ; 
 we want, as it were, to do something for God. This, in its 
 literal tense, of course we cannot do. God does not want 
 our services ; we cannot by our praise make Him greater, 
 nor by our thanks make Him happier. We are His 
 servants, no doubt ; but very unprofitable servants we 
 must be when we cannot, however much we wish it, do 
 good to our Master. But though really we cannot do 
 any profit to God, yet God permits us to relieve our 
 minds by doing something. He permits us to show our 
 
112 CONNECTION BETWEEN THE COMMANDMENTS 
 
 love for Him in our deeds and works,, by doing good to 
 somebody on eartb, who^ as far as that one point goes, 
 He allows to stand in His place. And tbus it is that 
 the Commandments of the second table are like those 
 of the first. By those of the first we are told to love 
 the Lord our God ; by those of the second we are told 
 to love the Lord our God in the persons of those who 
 stand to us in His place ; and^ therefore, when we ho- 
 nour them, and obey them, and reverence them, and 
 feel kindly disposed towards them, for God^s sake, we 
 in truth honour, obey, reverence, and love God Himself. 
 
 We may trace this, more or less, in all the Command- 
 ments of the second table, but we may do it more easily 
 in the fifth than in any of the others ; for, in fact, our 
 parents, and those whom God has set over us, are more 
 nearly in the place of God than the rest of our neigh- 
 bours. Before a child can understand anything about 
 God, he can perfectly understand obedience to his pa- 
 rent ; and, therefore, as long as that child^s understand- 
 ing is tender, the parent is actually to it as God upon 
 earth. And when the child grows up, and has learnt 
 that the authority of his father and mother comes from 
 God, and that God has taught him, while yet unable to 
 comprehend the mysteries of religion, to love Him and 
 honour Him, by making it natural that he should, while 
 little, love, honour, and obey his father and mother ; 
 when, I say, he has grown up and learnt that this natu- 
 ral affection is but, as it were, the type of another and 
 higher affection, he will not think little of the type be- 
 cause he begins to understand better the reality ; but 
 will then love his father and mother the more, because, 
 besides its being natural for him so to do, he feels that 
 it is they who have led him by degrees to feel love for 
 his heavenly Father, God. 
 
 And what I say of parents is equally true of all others 
 who in any way represent God in the matter of autho- 
 rity. The Apostles do not tell you to reverence the 
 king because he is the ruler, but because the powers 
 that be are ordained of God. They do not tell you to 
 reverence your minister for anything about himself, but 
 
OF THE FIRST AND SECOND TABLE. 113 
 
 because he is tlie ambassador of God to you. In fact, 
 the Fifth Commandment is the third put into practice. 
 We honour God^s holy Name and His Word in the per- 
 sons of those whom He has chosen to represent Him. 
 
 I wish you would remember that, and think upon it 
 seriously, for there is no commandment I see you break 
 so much as the fifth. I am sure that if parents consi- 
 dered themselves in the light of persons whom God has 
 permitted to represent His own Majesty and Justice to 
 their children, they would be more careful how they 
 trained those children up. And if children were more 
 taught to look up to their parents as the representatives 
 to them of God^s care, and God^s providence, and God^s 
 guidance, we should have much more honouring of our 
 fathers and mothers here, and many more of us would 
 have our days prolonged in that heavenly land which 
 the Lord our God giveth us. 
 
 Let us therefore ask ourselves some questions about 
 this Commandment, and think what answers we must 
 give to God when He asks us the same at the last day. 
 
 QUESTIONS FOR SELF-EXAMINATION. 
 
 Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy 
 days may be long in the land which the lord thy 
 God giveth thee. 
 
 1. Have I reflected why it was that our Saviour 
 called the Commandments of the second table like those 
 of the first, and considered that if I do not love my 
 brother whom I see with my bodily eyes, I cannot feel 
 much afifection to Him Whom I can see only with the 
 eyes of faith ? 
 
 2. Have I remembered that in most cases the only 
 way I have of showing my love to God is by loving my 
 neighbours for His sake? Have I been sufiiciently 
 thankful that when, to mortal eyes. He withdrew Him- 
 self from the earth. He left these behind Him as His 
 representatives, and told me that He would consider 
 what I did to them as if I had done it to Him ? 
 
114 FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 3. Have I always remembered that tlie first and ear- 
 liest of these representatives of God are my parents ? 
 Have I rendered them always snch love^ honour, and 
 obedience as is dne to those who to me stand in the 
 place of God upon earth. 
 
 4. Have I seen the breadth of this Commandment,, 
 and considered that as a subject my sovereign^ as a 
 Christian my Bishop and the Priest of my parish^ as a 
 servant my master^ as a subject the magistrates, stand 
 to me in the light of a parent — to be honoured and 
 obeyed, not so much for their own sakes, as because in 
 obeying them I obey God ? 
 
 5. Have I always applied to these particular cases our 
 Saviour^s general rule, and asked myself, if I were a 
 parent, a sovereign, a priest, or a magistrate, how would 
 I have my children, my subjects, my parishioners, or my 
 fellow-citizens, behave to me ? 
 
 Does my conscience accuse me — 
 
 (1.) Of disrespect to my parents, including sulki- 
 ness and bad temper, as well as disobedience ? 
 (2.) Of consorting with disloyal persons, or reading 
 and taking a pleasure in disloyal news- 
 papers ? 
 (3.) Of being discontented with the minister whom 
 God has provided for me, and heaping to 
 myself teachers ? 
 (4.) Of schism and disloyalty to my Church, di- 
 viding that which Christ prayed might be 
 one? 
 Have I considered this Fifth Commandment as the 
 foundation of all the Commandments of the second 
 table, and as the link which connects them with those 
 of the first ? Have I been the more careful about every- 
 thing that relates to it for this reason? 
 
 6. Have I considered that by attaching a promise to 
 this alone of all the Commandments, God intended to 
 draw my attention particularly towards it ? Have I re- 
 flected on the peculiar value of that promise to a Chris- 
 tian, and remembered what inheritance was promised to 
 me J and when it was promised ? 
 
SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 115 
 
 LECTUHE VII. 
 
 THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 I AM afraid I am speaking to most people^s experience 
 when I ask tliem if they do not remember how mnch 
 more they thought of a sin the first time they committed 
 itj than they thought of the same sin when they had 
 committed it before^ and yet the sin is the same sin in 
 reality^ and_, what concerns us more, appears the same 
 sin in the eye of God. We say, in common talk, that a 
 man^s conscience has got blunted, and, as it were, does 
 not cut him so sharply, because it has been so often put 
 to the same use before. This certainly is true, but it 
 would be more true and more Scriptural to say that the 
 Holy Ghost, Who from our baptism forward had made 
 His abode within us, has withdrawn from us when we 
 resisted Him, by committing the sin hrst ; perhaps He 
 has not altogether withdrawn or gone away, but, at all 
 events. He is not so much present with us as He was ; 
 and therefore our conscience, which is His weapon, does 
 not give us so much uneasiness. 
 
 This is the only way in which we can account for one 
 sin, that is to say, the breaking of one Commandment, 
 giving us so much more pain than the breaking of an- 
 other, though we know and say all the while that there 
 is no one Commandment of more consequence than 
 another in God^s sight. This is how we come to think 
 of great sins and little sins, whereas the only differ- 
 ence between a great sin and a little sin in God^s 
 sight is, that one is a habit, and the other is a sin of 
 infirmity. The one is a sin not repented, and the other 
 is a sin repented; in all other respects a sin means 
 an act of disobedience to God, and thus, shocking as it 
 may be for us to reflect upon, a man who has got a 
 habit of swearing, or a habit of lying, or a habit of petty 
 stealing, may be in God^s sight more guilty than a man 
 who has committed a murder. 
 
116 SINS APPEAR GREAT 
 
 It is through God^s mercy^ in making this sin so rare 
 among ns, that we think so much about it. I suppose 
 if a man were murdered within ten miles of us^ the 
 whole village would be full of it ; every one would be 
 wondering how a man could be so wicked as to commit 
 so great a sin. So far^ we are quite right ; it is a sub- 
 ject of wonder : but is it not equally a subject of wonder 
 that there should be a great many men among us who 
 commit sins as great by breaking other Commandments 
 of equal value as the Sixth ? and is it not a much greater 
 cause of wonder that the only reason why we cannot see 
 this is^ that so many people are committing the same 
 sin^ that we get quite used to it ? We should think just 
 as little of murder, did it happen as often. 
 
 I have just been reading an old historian_, who, living 
 in the time of Edward the Third, wrote the account of 
 his wars in France ; he tells us not only how many men 
 were killed in this or that battle, which, if the war be 
 lawful, may possibly be justifiable in the sight of God, 
 but every now and then he tells us also such stories as 
 that some general had some friend of his killed at the 
 taking of such a place, and had all the women and chil- 
 dren in it put to death. In another place we hear of a 
 town burnt, and all the inhabitants put to death, because 
 one great lord had a quarrel with another. 
 
 Now the wonderful thing here is, not that these great 
 sins were committed, but that the historian, who was a 
 clergyman, relates them as matters of course, things that 
 must happen in every war, not indeed exactly to be ap- 
 proved of, but not deserving of any particular condemn- 
 ation. Nor ought we greatly to blame the historian for 
 this ; a man writing now of some popular and common 
 sin, such as the breaking of the Seventh Commandment, 
 — things that I am sorry to say we hear of and read of 
 every day, — might, and often does, write of it with as 
 much unconcern as Froissart writes about the breaking 
 of the Sixth Commandment in his day. Let us learn 
 from this at least one lesson ; not to think a sin great 
 only because it is unusual, for if we do, God may well 
 punish us by making it common among us. We are 
 
BECAUSE THEY ARE RARE. 117 
 
 shocked at tlie breaking of the Sixth Commandment ; it 
 is a very wholesome feeling, let us encourage it, for it 
 was not so with us always ; not two hundred years ago 
 murder was a very common thing. The way to encou- 
 rage it is, by guarding ourselves strictly against those 
 things that lead to murder; that is to say, anger, jea- 
 lousy, discontent at our rulers ; sedition, consorting with 
 seditious men, holding light the great peace-maker which 
 Christ has placed among us. His Church. These are 
 the things which two hundred years ago brought murder 
 into the country, and caused it to be as lightly thought 
 of as any other crime ; and these things, if encouraged, 
 may bring it in again, or rather, God may give us up to 
 our own devices, and may suffer us to eat of the bitter 
 fruit of our own planting. 
 
 Bearing in mind these things, let us ask ourselves a 
 few questions on the manner in which we have kept the 
 Sixth Commandment. 
 
 questions for self-examination. 
 
 Thou shalt do no murder. 
 
 I thank my God that hitherto He has forborne to 
 punish our grievous national sins of disrespect to His 
 Name and His Church, as He did those of our fore- 
 fathers, and that instances of murder are so rare now, 
 that their frequency has not diminished the horror which 
 an unblunted conscience always feels at the sight of any 
 new sin. I thank my God, Who has removed this 
 temptation far from me ; but have I remembered that 
 out of the heart proceed murders ? 
 
 1. Let me reflect, therefore. 
 
 2. Have I ever let my temper get the better of me, 
 and used angry and irritating words towards my neigh- 
 bour, encouraging thereby bad feelings in myself, and 
 provoking them in him. Have I ever felt a desire to 
 return evil for evil, or railing for railing ? 
 
 3. Have I ever wished evil to my neighbour, and en- 
 
118 SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 couraged anger in my hearty tliough I did not show it 
 in my outward conduct ? 
 
 4. Have I, for instance^ ever allowed my thonglits to 
 run upon the evils any person has brought upon me^ or 
 the injuries he has done me, instead of submitting my- 
 self to these things, as punishments sent from God^ like 
 sickness or any other calamity, and forcing myself to 
 think of evil men not as of my enemies, but as " a sword 
 of Thine?'' 
 
 5. When, therefore, others spoke of me unjustly, has 
 my first thought, after having done my best to clear my 
 character, been, For what sin of mine has God brought 
 this punishment on me ? 
 
 6. Have I ever accustomed myself to reflect and me- 
 ditate on the benefit that would or might accrue to me 
 from the death of such and such individuals, and have I 
 ever attempted to soften that sin to my conscience by 
 some such conventional phrase, as "expectations'' or 
 " possible contingencies ?" 
 
 7. Have I always remembered with thankfulness that 
 many of these things which might otherwise easily have 
 escaped my observation, were pointed out to me by my 
 Heavenly Master Himself? Have I shown my thank- 
 fulness for this great kindness, by attending to His ex- 
 planations, and guarded against any approach to the 
 breaking of this Commandment, the more carefully, out 
 of respect and reverence to His gracious warning ? 
 
 LECTURE VIII. 
 
 THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 Men judge from what they see and feel : if an act 
 brings misery into a family, they can very easily under- 
 stand that that act is sinful, and with one accord they 
 rise up to condemn it. In thinking of the Seventh 
 
god's estimate of sin. 119 
 
 Commandment, the world would show no mercy to an 
 adulterer or adulteress, because any one can understand, 
 that an act which destroys for ever all confidence be- 
 tween husband and wife, which casts a doubt which can 
 never be removed on all the relations of father and chil- 
 dren, and brothers and sisters, which breaks up for ever 
 the domestic happiness of a whole family, must be a sin ; 
 and the Seventh Commandment is acknowledged at 
 once as the righteous law of a God Who wiUs the earthly 
 as well as the heavenly happiness of His creatures. 
 
 I may say the same of the sins of seduction, and its 
 result, fornication. The misery is apparent; God^s ver- 
 dict and man's verdict, therefore, go together ; and thus 
 invariably, even in this world, the sin is its own punish- 
 ment in a manner far more terrible and far more certain 
 than can be said of any other sin whatever. 
 
 On this point, therefore, I need not speak. The world 
 has taken my sermon into its own hands, and upon this 
 part of the subject, at all events, it not only speaks God's 
 truth, but speaks it in a way that the most ignorant 
 cannot fail to understand, and the most careless cannot 
 help listening to. 
 
 But there are many ways in which this Command- 
 ment is broken which the world takes no notice of. The 
 harm is not evident, and in its ignorance the world over- 
 looks the sin. If you will read the fifth chapter of S. 
 Matthew, from the twenty-first to the twenty- eighth 
 verse, you will see very clearly what I mean, and how 
 very dififerent is the judgment by which we shall be tried 
 at the last day from that by which we are tried at 
 present. 
 
 The world does not judge of an act before it is com- 
 mitted, — very properly no doubt, because the world can- 
 not read hearts. God, Who can read hearts, judges of 
 those things which He knows will lead to the commis- 
 sion of that of which even the world judges, — the 
 thoughts, the words which may never be expressed, 
 which His Providence may render harmless in the acts, 
 which have led to nothing in our particular case, but 
 which have led to something in thousands of other cases. 
 
120 THE SIN OF DINAH. 
 
 and will lead to something in thousands of others^ and 
 which our countenance perhaps may have helped to de- 
 prive of their warning. 
 
 There are things which we pass over as pardonable 
 sins_, — we call them levity _, idleness, frivolonsness ; we 
 do not think it just or right to visit them with heavy 
 censure ; but if we could see what God sees, we should 
 not only understand the justice of the judgment in the 
 way of preventing crime, but we might also understand 
 that between the act itself, which we are content to con- 
 demn, and the thoughts it prompts, and the word that 
 leads to, and the deed that conduces to it, the difference 
 is not so great as we imagine. 
 
 It is not for nothing that the Church has placed the 
 lesson of Dinah and her brothers in the midst of Lent, 
 nor that she will read it in your ears before you are con- 
 firmed. See what DinaVs sin was, and what it led to. 
 You cannot altogether bring yourself to blame the con- 
 duct of Jacobus sons as you ought to blame merciless and 
 treacherous revenge, and wholesale murder, and pitiless 
 massacre. You cannot but feel that it is some palliation 
 to their sin when they reply, as they do, to the reproof 
 of their father, '^ Should he deal with our sister as with 
 an harlot V^ You cannot but feel that you yourselves 
 would be moved to anger on such an occasion, and* 
 though you might pray against its breaking out into 
 such terrible consequences, you cannot speak of those 
 consequences as you ought to speak of murder and 
 treachery. 
 
 Now let us look what the sin of Dinah was, and see 
 if it is not a very common one. It would seem that 
 God has put that chapter into the Bible, and that the 
 Church had selected it as a Sunday lesson, for the ex- 
 press purpose of showing, even to man^s judgment, the 
 justice of that passage of S. Matthew which I have just 
 read to you. 
 
 Dinah, who at that time was about fifteen or sixteen 
 years old, went out to see the daughters of the land. If 
 we compare the account we have in the Bible with that 
 of the Jewish historian, we shall find that it was on the 
 
THE SIN OF DINAH. 121 
 
 occasion of a great festival, which the people of the land 
 — that is to say, the idolaters — had made. It is quite 
 certain that her family did not approve of it, for we find 
 none of her brothers were there; the fifth verse says 
 that they were with the cattle in the field, and they 
 must have gone there purposely to be out of the way 
 of it, because it was not only a public, but an annual 
 festival, which no one who lived in their land could be 
 ignorant of. She went alone, and without permission ; 
 this too, is evident, for Jacob, her father, as we see, did 
 not hear of it till afterwards, nor did he speak of it till 
 his sons had come back from the field. 
 
 This, therefore, was the sin of Dinah : she had no 
 sort of intention of committing that open and definite 
 sin which the world would call breaking the Seventh 
 Commandment ; all she wanted probably was to look at 
 the dresses which other girls would wear at the festival, 
 and to show her own, and to talk, and dance, and amuse 
 herself; and to do this she went without the knowledge 
 of her family, and against what, as they showed by their 
 acts, they would have approved had they known it. This 
 was all; but what it led to was her own disgrace, the 
 grievous sin of her two brothers, and the destruction of 
 the whole town. 
 
 You can all judge of the act by such consequences as 
 these, but the question is — if Shechem had never seen 
 her, would her sin have been less ? That he saw her 
 was an accident, it was no act of her own ; all that fol- 
 lowed was involuntary on her part ; but no single deed 
 of all this great string of crimes would have happened 
 had she done her duty in the first instance, — had she 
 not followed her own pleasure, and gratified her own 
 vanity, or curiosity, or love of amusement. 
 
 If you think of this, it will not seem extraordinary to 
 you that I place under the head of the Seventh Com- 
 mandment a great many things that seem to you quite 
 innocent. No doubt they may be innocent, in reality, 
 if properly indulged. Dinah, had she obtained permis- 
 sion of her father, — had she been taken care of by her 
 brothers, — might very possibly have enjoyed the festival 
 
122 SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 without the shadow of sin. I am sure there is nothing 
 in the Bible to lead one to suppose she might not ; but 
 at the same time it is quite plain that there are circum- 
 stances which may make the most innocent things sinful,, 
 and of these circumstances young people are not always 
 the best judges. Whenever these circumstances do oc- 
 cur^ then the indulging in an act otherwise innocent be- 
 comes a sin^ even to the breaking of the Seventh Com- 
 mandment ; and^ whenever this is the case^ the sin is 
 the same^ whether any evil consequences result from it 
 or not.i 
 
 It is in this spirit that I would have you examine 
 yourselves on the Seventh Commandment. You have 
 not broken it in outward act, — thank God for that ; He 
 probably has preserved you when you were thinking 
 little of it yourselves ; but examine yourselves whether 
 you have not heedlessly or even wilfully done things 
 which have led others into open sin, whom you have no 
 reason to suppose to be people of worse natural disposi- 
 tions than you are yourselves ? and ask yourselves fairly 
 and honestly whether the sin is less on your part than 
 it is on theirs, because it pleased God, for some reason 
 with which you had nothing to do, to preserve you when 
 He was not pleased to preserve them ? 
 
 questions for self-examination. 
 Thou shalt not commit adultery. 
 
 1. Have I considered that out of the heart proceed 
 adulteries, as well as other sins ? 
 
 2. Have I been as careful of my heart — that is to say, 
 of my thoughts — as I have of my actions ? 
 
 3. If I have hitherto been kept from breaking this 
 Commandment openly, what is it that has preserved me ? 
 
 4. Was it the thought that by my Baptism my body 
 became the temple of the Holy Ghost, and that it was 
 
 1 See Miller's Sermons. The best Tract for distribution on this very- 
 difficult subject is one by the Kev. John Chandler, of Witley, called 
 " Unchastity before Marriage." 
 
EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 123 
 
 not possible that a Christian could defile the temple of 
 his God ? 
 
 5. Or was it simply the fear of my neighbours,, and of 
 the disgrace which the world attaches to the commission 
 of such crimes ? 
 
 6. I have often prayed to God not to lead me into 
 temptations ; can I remember acting against my own 
 prayers^ and leading myself into them ? 
 
 7. Have I followed my pleasure without considering 
 or caring for the dangers into which it led me ? 
 
 8. Have I been circumspect in my outward conduct^ 
 paying attention to the advice and remonstrances of 
 those who were more experienced than myself? 
 
 9. Have I given no occasion for scandal by levity^ if 
 I have not justified it by sin ? 
 
 10. Has my language been modest ? Has my con- 
 duct and bearing been such as would give neither excuse 
 nor countenance for sins against this Commandment in 
 others ? 
 
 11. What instances can I remember of remissness in 
 any of these particulars ? Were these instances repented 
 of when they occurred^ or were they justified or passed 
 lightly by ? 
 
 12. Have they recurred so often as to become ha- 
 bitual ? 
 
 If I cannot clear myself in this particular^ let me re- 
 member that my preservation from disgrace as well as 
 sin has been due^ not to my watchfulness^ but to God's 
 mercy^ and that though in the sight of the world I may 
 be innocent^ in the sight of God I may be as guilty as 
 those whom He has punished in this world by shame 
 and dishonour. 
 
 LECTURE IX. 
 
 THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 The judgment of the world and the judgment of God 
 is very often precisely the same; that is to say^ the 
 
 g2 
 
124 EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 world condemns and punishes the very same sin that 
 God condemns and punishes. 
 
 ThiSj however_, whenever it does happen_, is only an 
 accidental occurrence^ as when two roads leading to 
 different places happen to have some part of their line 
 in common; for in truth the world^s judgment and 
 GoD^s judgment are founded upon perfectly different 
 principles ; they may have some portion in common, 
 because these principles are not in opposition to each 
 other, only different in character and object, but the 
 two lines do not lead to the same point, and therefore 
 there is a very great danger when we are on that part 
 which is common to both, that we fancy we are walk- 
 ing on the one, when, in fact, we are walking on the 
 other. 
 
 The world estimates the amount of sin by the amount 
 of harm done, or harm that might have been done ; God 
 estimates the sin by the fact of whether the subject in 
 question is obedience or disobedience; the harm that 
 happens to be done through any sin, is no element of 
 judgment with Him, because no sins can do any harm at 
 all without His permission ; He can, if He pleases, 
 bring even good out of evil, and if He does not always 
 please, it is only upon the principle on which the Psalmist 
 calls the wicked "A sword of God/' that is to say, He 
 is pleased to make from the consequence of one man^s 
 sin a punishment or a trial to some one else, to whom 
 He considers a trial salutary, or a punishment due. 
 
 The truth is, the world acts on a principle of selfish- 
 ness, it condemns those sins only which are likely to 
 hurt itself, and thinks little of those which are injurious 
 only to God's majesty and honour. Murder and theft, 
 like any other acts of wilful disobedience, are very great 
 sins in the sight of God, and the world also sets its face 
 against them. Why ? plainly because any man may be 
 murdered or robbed, and therefore every man is ready 
 to condemn that by which he may himself one day be 
 made to suffer. 
 
 It does not hurt us that we live next door to an infidel 
 or an atheist, therefore we are very tender of such people. 
 
THE TWO MOTIVES FOR WELL DOING. 125 
 
 we can afford to be liberal towards tliem_, and we are 
 liberal, we think it very wrong indeed to disturb a man 
 for bis religious opinions. 
 
 But it is very uncomfortable to live next door to a 
 murderer, or a tbief, for tbere is no knowing whom that 
 man may next take to murdering or robbing, therefore 
 we are none of us disposed to be liberal to such as these, 
 or to regard with toleration their peculiar ideas concern- 
 ing life and property ; that is to say, we are very liberal 
 with the honour and glory of Almighty God, but by 
 no means liberal about things which concern our own 
 safety. 1 
 
 It should seem, therefore, that there are two classes 
 of sins, those which God condemns by His Bible and 
 His Commandments, while the world condemns them 
 by its laws and its opinions, and those which God con- 
 demns equally in His Bible, while the world is perfectly 
 indifferent about the matter. 
 
 Now whenever we take upon us the necessary task of 
 judging ourselves on this description of sin, which is 
 condemned alike by the judgment of God and that of 
 the world, there is always this danger, we cannot tell 
 the motive upon which we are acting ; we keep clear 
 npon some particular sin, and hold ourselves blameless ; 
 perhaps we are so, but we can never be quite certain 
 whether we do this from love of God or from fear of 
 the world, because in this particular instance the love 
 of God and the fear of the world would lead us to pre- 
 cisely the same thing. 
 
 If we do the thing which is right, it may seem of 
 little consequence what makes us do it, and it is of little 
 consequence, so far as this world is concerned, but, when 
 we come to be judged by the judgment of the next world, 
 the motive on which we have acted, that very point on 
 which it is so easy to deceive ourselves, may be that 
 
 1 Jurymen may easily judge themselves by this rule — whenever they 
 acquit a self-murderer on grounds of insanity, when they are conscious 
 that they would not acquit any other description of murderer on the 
 same grounds, then they convict themselves of perjury under the influ- 
 ence of this principle of self. 
 
126 THE ONLY METHOD 
 
 which makes the whole difference between eternal life 
 and eternal damnation. 
 
 Many a man judging himself on the Eighth Command- 
 ment^ who is conscious of none of those sins which the 
 world considers disgraceful^ who is quite certain that he 
 has never robbed^ nor pilfered_, nor cheated^ nor swindled, 
 gives himself a full acquittal, and thinks that with respect 
 to that Commandment at all events, he is in the sight of 
 God blameless, when all the time it is the fear of the 
 world, not the fear of God, that has been acting upon him. 
 
 Now this is a very dangerous deceit, God will not re- 
 ward us for keeping ourselves free from sin for fear of 
 the world, because God, though He recompenses us ac- 
 cording to the cleanness of our hands, does not reward 
 us for our work done, but for our faithfulness in doing it. 
 
 It will be no recommendation to us in His sight, when 
 on the last day He convicts us of some glaring act of dis- 
 obedience and unfaithfulness towards Him, that we say, 
 yes, but see how obedient and faithful we have been to 
 the judgment of the world ; we have not done one single 
 act which the world has called wicked or disgraceful. 
 Do you think it would mend the matter, that God, who 
 requires our absolute obedience, should find out that we 
 had another master, whose commands we obeyed better 
 than we did His ? and do we not convict ourselves of 
 this when we obey God^s commands, if they are backed 
 by those of the world, and do not obey God^s commands 
 when they are not so backed? In judging ourselves 
 upon such matters as the Eighth Commandment, the 
 only safe plan is to take some point in which the world 
 is neutral, or in which its opinion rather favours the 
 sinner. Let us judge ourselves very strictly in that par- 
 ticular according to God^s judgment, being more parti- 
 cular in this, and more jealous in examining the value 
 of our excuses and palliations, than we should be in mat- 
 ters relating to other commandments, and if we find our- 
 selves failing in this part of it, let us be very sure that 
 the reason why we do not break the whole, and rob, and 
 pilfer, and cheat, and swindle with the worst, is not the 
 fear of displeasing a good God, Who has done so much 
 
OF JUDGING CORRECTLY. 127 
 
 for iis_, and cannot bear to look upon such things^ but 
 the fear of losing our character in a world that does 
 not like to be robbed^ and pilfered^ and swindled,, and 
 cheated^ and therefore has determined to consider these 
 things disgraceful. 
 
 Now take the case of a bargain ; the world smiles upon 
 a sharp bargainer, cannot exactly make up its mind to 
 approve indeed, but considers him clever, while God says 
 we are not to defraud or go beyond one another in any 
 matter. How have we acted in such transactions our- 
 selves ? have we concealed defects, or exaggerated good 
 points in our bargains beyond what we knew to be the 
 truth? have we taken advantage of other people's ignor- 
 ance or inexperience ? because if we have it is not the 
 word of God that has stopped us in this instance, and 
 fi'om this we may make a pretty good guess that it is 
 not the word of God that has stopped us from breaking 
 the Commandment in every other particular. 
 
 This is the meaning of judging ourselves ; it is of no 
 great use, particularly in such Commandments as the 
 Eighth, to judge ourselves as to whether we have or have 
 not done any particular thing ; the point to which we 
 should direct our attention is, what has kept us from 
 doing it, or what has urged us to do it. It is of no use 
 to judge ourselves in one fashion, when the judgment of 
 the last day will be in another ; and it is quite possible 
 to imagine a casein which a man's honesty, as the world 
 calls honesty, has been the cause of his final damnation ; 
 worldly honesty is often a temptation and a snare, it pre- 
 vents a man from seeing his own wickedness, it prevents 
 him from being frightened, it prevents him from repent- 
 ing, it prevents him from being saved, and all the while 
 it is no real \drtue, it has nothing to do with religion 
 and God's Commandments; he is honest because public 
 opinion says it is a shame to be a thief, and he is proud 
 that no one can bring this against him. In this one 
 virtue it is for the praise of man he is working, and per- 
 haps he gets it ; people say, Well, whatever his faults 
 were, he was an honest worthy man, and gave every one 
 their due. He has got all that he ever tried for, and 
 
128 EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 reaps his fall reward. And what then? what will it 
 profit hinij when God asks him^ what have yon done for 
 My sake ? what have yon done because I commanded it ? 
 what have yon done to show yonr gratitude to Me^ and 
 your love to your Saviour ? You have worked hard 
 for the praise of men, and for their sake have withstood 
 many temptations. Well^ you have what you worked 
 for ; men do think well of you. Is there anything more 
 that you desire ? have you tried for anything more ? 
 
 Now no one can say but that this is a danger, and that 
 the man has been led into it by thinking of his own 
 honesty. If he would really like to try his own honesty, 
 and whether it is keeping the Eighth Commandment of 
 God, or keeping some commandment of men, let him 
 examine himself and his honesty by the rule of God^s 
 Commandments, and ask himself some such questions as 
 these which I now give you to take home with you. 
 
 questions ror self-examination. 
 
 Thou shalt not steal. 
 
 1. I thank my God that I have never robbed any 
 body, and that I have never stolen any thing ; I thank 
 my God that I should consider doing so, mean and un- 
 becoming my character ; but is this horror that I have 
 of stealing respect to God or respect to man ? I shall 
 be able to know this certainly by asking myself whether 
 I consider it a greater crime to steal to a large amount, 
 or to steal some trifle that will never be missed, because 
 men think the one greater than the other, but God says. 
 Thou shalt not steal at all. 
 
 2. But if I have never been guilty of downright steal- 
 ing, have I never stolen indirectly? 
 
 3. Have I ever taken advantage of my neighbour's 
 necessities, to obtain some article of his below its real 
 value ? which is extortion. 
 
 4. Have I ever brought on him an unjust lawsuit, or 
 by taking advantage of some mistake in the law, forced 
 one on him ? which is litigiousness. 
 
EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 122^ 
 
 5. Have I ever tempted him to risk his property on 
 chance ? which is gambling. 
 
 6. Have I ever in selling concealed the defects of my 
 own goods^ and in buying cried down the value of my 
 neighbours^ ? which is lying as well as stealing. 
 
 7. Have I ever borrowed or run in debt^ knowing all 
 the time that I could not pay ? this is also lying as well 
 as stealing. 
 
 8. If I have hitherto thought but little upon these 
 things^ is it not that I have never tried my keeping of 
 the Eighth Commandment by our Saviour^ s general 
 rule — Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself? 
 
 9. Have I ever allowed myself to indulge in any par- 
 ticular description of dishonesty_, because public opinion 
 is not so much against it as it is against other stealing ? 
 for instance^ have I thought little of poaching_, or smug- 
 gling, not considering that God makes no difference how 
 I take from my neighbour^ nor whether I steal from one 
 man or from the nation ? 
 
 10. Have I ever considered how unprofitable it was to 
 break the Commandment^ that I cannot be saved with- 
 out repentance^ that repentance requires me to give back 
 what I took ? have I considered then how useless and 
 foohsh it is to take my neighbour's goods in any way, if 
 in order to be saved I must first give them back again ? 
 
 11. Have I ever thought that when I plead poverty 
 as an excuse for dishonesty I must plead faithlessness 
 also, for that God has told me in so many words (Ps. 
 xxxvii. 3,) that they who trust in Him and do good, shall 
 certainly have bread to eat ? Have I ever considered 
 that doubting this is doubting His truth ? 
 
 This is the way in which we have to examine ourselves 
 upon the Eighth Commandment, and when we have 
 done so with prayer and watchfulness, I doubt much 
 whether most of us will not have to pray God to have 
 mercy on them for having broken it, rather than to 
 thank God for grace enabling them to keep it. I doubt 
 much whether those who have kept it will be able quite 
 to satisfy their consciences that it was God they were 
 obeying, and not the world ? 
 
 g3 
 
130 ' SELF. 
 
 But I am quite sure that all should distrust them- 
 selves, and their own strength to keep it, and whether 
 their station in life be high or low, should join with one 
 accord in the prayer, " Incline our hearts to keep this 
 law/^ 
 
 LECTURE X. 
 
 THE NINTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 If we were to examine ourselves strictly and honestly, 
 tracing our sins to their first causes, as indeed we must 
 learn to do if we want to get rid of them at all — I think 
 we should find selfishness to be at the bottom of every 
 one of them. Selfishness is not exactly the word either, 
 it does not quite express my meaning, but it is as near 
 as I can come to it. What I mean is, putting self for- 
 ward, so as to make it the first thing in our thoughts — 
 what we like, or what we hate, or what we choose, or 
 what we do not choose, till at last, instead of being the 
 first thing in our thoughts, it comes to be the only thing 
 in our thoughts, and we end in regarding nothing but self. 
 
 With regard to the Commandments of the first table, 
 this is clear enough, if we break the three first, it is by 
 taking something that we choose, whether it be our plea- 
 sure, or our gain, or our own fancy of what God and 
 His Church ought to be, instead of what God has re- 
 vealed, and thus making a god of our own imagination. 
 As for breaking the Fourth Commandment, there can 
 be no mistake about that being a preference of ourselves 
 to God, for God Himself calls it taking our pleasure on 
 His holiday. This is no less true when we come to the 
 Commandments of the second table; but in none of 
 them all is it so remarkable as in the Ninth, which, at 
 first sight, seems to have little or nothing to do with it. 
 
 Let us see how this is. 
 
 There is nothing, you all know^ that flies so fast as 
 
DETRACTION OF OTHERS. 131 
 
 any little story to the disadvantage of our neiglibour. 
 Every body is eager to tell it ; everybody is ready to 
 listen to it ; and I am sorry to say, everybody tbat bands 
 it on is ready to add a little_, so that when it comes round 
 to its first authors, they would hardly know their own 
 story. But may not this be the simple pleasure of talk- 
 ing ? That will not account for it — for a story to the 
 advantage of our neighbour, some good deed that he has 
 done, some act of piety, or self-denial, ought to fly just 
 as fast, and just as far, as if a love of talking were the 
 true cause ; but it does not, you know it does not. 
 
 Now, this repeating stories to the disadvantage of our 
 neighbour is the most usual way of breaking the Ninth 
 Commandment that there is. No doubt bearing false 
 witness against him in a court of justice is the direct way 
 of breaking it, just as killing a man is the direct way of 
 breaking the Sixth. But as we, who live under a spi- 
 ritual rule, know that there are many ways of breaking 
 the Sixth Commandment without at all breaking the 
 laws of the land, so we may form a very good idea that 
 there may be ways of breaking the Ninth without ever 
 going near a court of justice. 
 
 But where is the temptation ? Why are we not as 
 fond of speaking good of our neighbour, which we may 
 do without off'ending God, as we are of speaking ill of 
 him, which we can hardly do without breaking the Com- 
 mandments ? I am now speaking of quarrels and of the 
 idle and wicked things people say of one another while 
 they are angry; beyond a doubt it does happen some- 
 times that people spread malicious stories about their 
 neighbours because they have a grudge against them and 
 wish to hurt them; but this, though certainly coming 
 within the condemnation of the Ninth Commandment, 
 inasmuch as it is bearing false witness, I should rather 
 speak of under the head of the Sixth, because it is hurt- 
 ing and injuring our neighbour maliciously, and I think 
 the Ninth is intended for cases in which there is hurt, 
 no doubt, but no malice whatever. Strange as it may 
 seem, these are by far the most numerous cases of evil 
 speaking that come before us. 
 
133 NINTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 Now^ how can repeating stories^ that injure a neigh- 
 bour against whom we bear no malice,, afford us any 
 pleasure so great as to tempt us to break Gon^s Com- 
 mandment^ that is to say — for we must not disguise the 
 penalty from ourselves — so great as to tempt us into 
 eternal damnation? 
 
 If we examine this matter closely, I think we shall 
 find that the bottom of it all is what I have called self- 
 ishness. 
 
 God measures us all alike by the rule of His Com- 
 mandments, no doubt, but then we measure ourselves 
 by one another. It is as if God had determined that a 
 man six feet high should be considered a tall man, yet 
 a man five feet eight, though short with respect to the 
 standard of six feet, would consider himself a tall man 
 if none of his neighbours were higher than five feet six. 
 No doubt it would make very little difference when he 
 came at last to be measured by God^s standard ; he 
 would stiU be four inches short, whether he was taller 
 than his neighbours or not ; but while he lived among 
 his neighbours, he would pass for a tall man with them. 
 
 And this is just as true about morals. A man very 
 far short of God^s standard yet passes for a good man 
 when compared with neighbours not so good as himself. 
 It makes no difference in the end, but it seems to make 
 a difference for the present, and that is all he thinks 
 about. Whatever, therefore, makes his neighbours look 
 less, seems to make him look greater. 
 
 Now there are two ways of being better than our 
 neighbours, the one by taking more pains to order our 
 lives and conversations, while our neighbours remain as 
 they were ; the other by remaining as we were ourselves, 
 and endeavouring to lower and debase our neighbours 
 to some point below us. No doubt that this is all fool- 
 ishness, because men are not on the last day to be mea- 
 sured by their neighbours, but by God^s rule. But they 
 will not think so ; and, beyond a doubt, it gives us very 
 much less trouble and pains, and self-denial, while we 
 live here on earth, to malign our neighbours, than it 
 does to improve ourselves. 
 
133 
 
 Hence the readiness with which we catch at stories to 
 their disadvantage; for you will recollect that these 
 things give quite as much pleasure to the hearer as they 
 do to the relater, and^ let me add too^ heap upon him 
 quite as much sin ; for it is evident that, if every one 
 listened to the backbiter with a serious and disapproving 
 countenance,, he would soon leave off repeating his 
 stories ; and so Solomon tells you in his Proverbs. 
 
 Breaking the Ninth Commandment^ then, is a mix- 
 ture of selfishness and want of faith. Of selfishness^ 
 because we are thinking of nothing but the position 
 which we seem to hold ourselves ; of want of faith^ be- 
 cause we will not believe what Christ tells us, that we 
 shall be judged according to our own works, and not 
 according to those of our neighbour. 
 
 There is one variety of the sin, of which I would speak 
 more particularly, for I have many servants among my 
 catechumens : and servants are more liable to fall into 
 it than others^ though there are many other people that 
 commit it besides them. They will live in a house with 
 a wicked fellow- servant, and see their masters and mis- 
 tresses wronged by him day after day^ without saying a 
 word ; but the moment he leaves, they are full of stories 
 to his disadvantage. This I take to be a worse form of 
 breaking the Ninth Commandment than the other, be- 
 cause they are not only doing what they ought not to 
 do, in repeating these stories now that they are useless, 
 and, therefore, simply malicious, but they have been 
 leaving undone what they ought to have done in not 
 telling them before. There is as great a difference be- 
 tween reporting and tale-bearing, as there can be between 
 one thing and another. The one is the discharge of a 
 very painful duty, the other the indulgence of a very 
 sinful pleasure. While that wicked servant was wrong- 
 ing his master, it was the duty of his fellow- servants to 
 accuse him, because their duty to their master required 
 that they should not put up with the wrongs of him 
 whose bread they were eating. But after he had left 
 the place, and it would do no sort of good to reveal his 
 misdeeds, Christian charity would bid us conceal them. 
 
134 NIKTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 Whenever a master heard of such a story^ if he did 
 his duty toward God and his neighbonr_, he would im- 
 mediately discharge the servant that brought it^ partly 
 for his want of Christian charity then^ but principally 
 because he had convicted himself out of his own mouth 
 of neglecting his bounden duty in not having made the 
 accusation before. If breaking the Ninth Command- 
 ment in ordinary cases is a mixture of selfishness and 
 want of faithj breaking it in such a case as this is selfish- 
 ness, want of faith, and cowardice into the bargain. 
 
 Now, let us remember, that three times a week we 
 use these words in our prayers — ^' From envy, hatred, 
 and malice. Good Lord, deliver us^^ — and that to a 
 great many of every congregation this must be a most 
 terrible prayer, and one that might well make them 
 pause before they ofiPer it, because it is quite certain that 
 unless we act as we pray, we are taking God^s Name in 
 vain, and our very prayer becomes a curse. We cannot 
 safely use that prayer unless we determine, so far as in 
 us lies, not only to keep our hands from picking and 
 stealing, not only to keep our bodies in temperance, so- 
 berness, and chastity, but also to keep our tongues from 
 evil speaking, lying, and slandering. As we pray, so we 
 must act; as we act, so we shall be judged; and if we 
 would not be judged by God at the last day, we must 
 begin by judging ourselves now. 
 
 questions for self-examination. 
 
 Thou shalt not bear palse witness against thy 
 neighbour. 
 
 I have not been tempted literally to bear false witness 
 against any one in a court of justice, but have I never 
 said that which I know or suspect to be false ? 
 
 1. Have I never spoken the truth in such a manner 
 as to convey a false impression ? 
 
 2. Have I ever allowed a story which I knew to be 
 false to be repeated, when I had the power of setting it 
 right ? 
 
TENTH COMMANDMENT. 135 
 
 3. Have I felt a pleasure in hearing ill of my neigh- 
 bour when the story was true ? 
 
 4. If so^ what is it that has given me that pleasure ? 
 
 5. Is it any feeling of satisfaction that I am better 
 than he ? 
 
 6. Or is it envy_, malice^ hatred,, or simply charitable- 
 ness? 
 
 7. How have I spoken of myself? Have I ever tried 
 to exhibit myself in an untrue light — to make myself 
 out better than I am ? 
 
 8. How have I felt when others have borne false wit- 
 ness against me ? 
 
 9. Have I remembered that Jesus Christ Himself 
 was borne false witness against^ and have I ventured to 
 complain when He did not ? 
 
 10. Have I considered false witness against myself, 
 concerning a sin that I am innocent of^, as a fit punish- 
 ment sent by God for other sins of which I am guilty ? 
 
 11. And has the pain it gave me made me more 
 watchful over myself^ and more careful lest I commit 
 myself the very sin of false witness which I condemn in 
 another ? 
 
 LECTURE XI. 
 
 THE TENTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 In judging ourselves by the rule of God^s Command- 
 ments, I never met with any one who thought he had 
 broken the Tenth. Earnest, sincere people, who have 
 no hypocrisy about them, who make no scruple of avow- 
 ing their sins when they know them, who readily admit 
 and grieve over their offences against every other Com- 
 mandment, are quite sure that they are free from blame 
 on the Tenth. They are perfectly sincere in this ; they 
 do not mean to conceal or palliate anything in real truth 
 and sincerity, but they are not conscious of the blame 
 
136 THE SELF-ADJUSTING MEASURE. 
 
 they deserve. They know they have never wasted their 
 time in thinking that it would be much better for them 
 if they lived in the squire^s house^ or if some other per- 
 son's wife were their wife; still less have they ever taken 
 the trouble of wishing for other people's men-servants 
 and maid-servants_, and oxen^ and asses^ or^ if they have 
 done sOj it was a very harmless sort of covetousness^, 
 which might be indulged without breaking any com- 
 mandment whatever : in fact_, it is not an Englishman's 
 nature to sit dovm and idly wish for anything ; he does 
 not waste his time about anything so useless ; his sins 
 as well as his virtues are of an active description_, and 
 he is not tempted to dream away or wish away his life 
 at all; therefore he says^ and says what he most sin- 
 cerely thinks^ that he does not covet. Perhaps he does 
 not understand what coveting is. 
 
 Now_, the fact is^ that our Saviour has left us a most 
 excellent comment upon this Commandment — one which 
 we can hardly apply practically^ without fully entering 
 into the spirit of the Commandment itself, and, I am 
 afraid^ iviWj convicting ourselves of having broken it 
 oftener than we have any other Commandment of the 
 Ten. Our Saviour says_, ^' Whatsoever things ye would 
 that men should do unto you_, even so do unto them^ 
 for this is the Law and the Prophets." Whenever we 
 think of the Tenth Commandment^ we should do well 
 to measure it and ourselves by this saying. 
 
 The sajdng is a singular one, when we come to think 
 of it ; it is not at all like anything that we should have 
 said ourselves, had we been laying down directions for 
 people's guidance. We should have said, do everything 
 that is reasonable, do everything that is charitable, do 
 everything that is kind ; but I do not think we should 
 have said, do everything for other people that you wish 
 other people to do to you. For see what it implies : if 
 you wish for half your neighbour's fortune, I do not 
 see how you can escape giving him half yours ; if you 
 want your neighbour to give up his time to doing your 
 business, or helping you, or entertaining you, then you 
 have nothing else before you than to give up all your 
 
WHAT COVETOUSNESS REALLY IS. 137 
 
 time and all your work to him in return. You see tliere 
 is nothing at all about reasonable or right in the matter. 
 Our Saviour^s words are, "all things/^ and^ lest you 
 should make any mistake about it_, He says emphati- 
 cally, " all things whatsoever.'' 
 
 Do you not see that He makes you your own judges, 
 and appoints your own desires to be the measure of your 
 own actions ? If you desire no more than is right and 
 reasonable from your neighbour, then you are bound to 
 give no more than is right or reasonable to your neigh- 
 bour. If, therefore, you evei; feel that this text binds 
 you to do more than is right or reasonable, then you 
 stand self- condemned of wishing for more than is right 
 or reasonable yourself, and this opens upon us a whole 
 host of subjects that we should never have thought of. 
 Oxen, and asses, and men-servants, and maid- servants, 
 were the representatives of wealth at the time when this 
 Commandment was made ; they constituted all the dif- 
 ference between a rich man and a poor man : these were 
 objects of covetousness then, they are not so now; but, 
 although they have ceased to be so, there are other 
 things which are the representatives of prosperity and 
 wealth in our days, and these take the place of the oxen 
 and asses, and men-servants and maid-servants of simpler 
 times. The first thing that will strike you is money, and 
 money certainly is a temptation for breaking that Com- 
 mandment. But, after all, you will say, we do not sit 
 down and covet rich people^s money ; let us, then, look 
 a little further, and see what, in these times, we do 
 covet. 
 
 In civilised countries like ours, even money is not 
 always the object of covetousness: people of wealth are 
 people of leisure, people of influence, people of consider- 
 ation ; any sort of discontent, then, at the state of life 
 into which it has pleased God to call us, is within the 
 breaking of the Tenth Commandment. Whenever we 
 think that our talents are overlooked, that a person in- 
 ferior to ourselves is preferred before us, that more at- 
 tention is paid to their remarks than is paid to ours, — 
 that, in fact, we are slighted or neglected, — then we 
 covet. 
 
138 APPLICATION OF THE RULE. 
 
 Some classes are more tempted to break some of the 
 Commandments than tliey are to break others. A poor 
 man, for instance, has greater temptations to break the 
 Eighth ; a rich man has greater temptations to break the 
 Seventh. But, in the case of the Tenth, the danger is 
 alike to all ; all are tempted to discontent, all are prone 
 to discontent; the poorest among us, who envies the 
 shilling which his less deserving neighbour gets in cha- 
 rity, and the privy councillor, who sees with discontent 
 a less able man preferred to him in the cabinet, alike 
 are tempted to covetousness. 
 
 There is no Commandment so spiritual — that is to say, 
 there is no Commandment which may be broken or kept 
 so much by the mind, without the body having anything 
 to do wdth it — and therefore there is no Commandment 
 broken so often without our thinking that we are break- 
 ing it. A man knows when he steals, he cannot miss 
 knowing it, — but he does not always know when he 
 covets ; and yet it is no less a breach of God^s Com- 
 mandments because he does not know the precise time 
 he is breaking it. You remember that David prays 
 against his secret sins ; this does not mean secret from 
 other people, but secret from himself. It is a terrible 
 thing to think, but it is so notwithstanding, that a man, 
 not in the habit of examining himself, may be continu- 
 ally breaking God^s Commandments, and may be held 
 responsible too for breaking God^s Commandments, and 
 this without knowing it. 
 
 Now, in all this our Saviour's rule is our surest 
 guide, " Whatsoever ye would that men do unto you, 
 even so do ye unto them.'' Are you discontented that 
 you have not your due? — then give your place, your 
 influence, your fortune, your standing in society, to the 
 first among the hundreds you will meet who deserves it 
 as well as you. You do not like to do this : well, there* 
 is one way, and but one, of avoiding the obligation, — 
 be content with what you have. Everything is by com- 
 parison. There are but a certain number of places of 
 consideration in society, after all, — to take one you 
 must displace some one else, — perhaps God will give it 
 you : He ruleth over the kingdom of men, and giveth it 
 
TENTH COMMANDMENT. 139 
 
 to whomsoever He will. If He does give it^ then you 
 have a right to it, but if not, do not you wish to take it, 
 and then I am sure that rule of our Lord's will not call 
 upon you to give up yours to any one else. At all 
 events, remember that the Tenth is the most difficult of 
 all the Commandments to judge ourselves upon, and 
 self-examination upon that should be set about with 
 additional care, and more earnest prayer for guidance. 
 
 questions for self-examination. 
 
 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, 
 thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his 
 servant, nor his maid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor 
 anything that is his. 
 
 1. When I think of my situation in life, do I always 
 recollect Who placed me there ? 
 
 2. If my Heavenly Father placed me where I am, 
 do I lay to heart that there it is best for me to be ? 
 
 3. When I am trying to better myself by lawful in- 
 dustry, do I distinguish between making use of the 
 talents which God has given me, and envying the talents 
 which He has given to some one else ? 
 
 4. Do I feel displeased at the success of a neighbour ? 
 
 5. Have I been discontented or out of humour that 
 my neighbour is preferred before me ? 
 
 Let me pray to God that I may always keep before 
 me that covetousness opens the door to the breach of all 
 other Commandments, — that it led Ahab to break the 
 Sixth, David to break the Seventh, Gehazi to break the 
 Ninth, — that our first parents desired — that is to say, 
 coveted — before they fell, — ^and that it was envy, dis- 
 content, and jealousy that led Judas to betray his Master. 
 
 When I think of these instances, and reflect that God 
 in His mercy has not permitted my covetousness to bear 
 such evil fruit as this, besides being thankful to Him for 
 His Fatherly care, let me pray to Him to have mercy 
 upon me for the opening which I myself have given for 
 the breaking of so many Commandments, and beseech 
 Him to write, together with the Tenth, all these His 
 laws in my heart. 
 
CONFESSION. 
 
 AD CLERUM. 
 
 " But if by this means he cannot quiet his own conscience, but re- 
 quireth further help or counsel, let him come to me, or to some other 
 discreet and learned miuister of GtOd's Word and open his grief." — 
 Exhortation to the Holy Communion. 
 
 So soon as the Parson has given official notice from 
 the Altar^ that the Bishop will be ready to confirm all 
 such as shall be presented to him^ the first thing he has 
 to do is to assemble his staff, that is to say, his curates, 
 schoolmasters, and mistresses, pupil teachers, Sunday- 
 school teachers and visitors, and to see that they under- 
 stand fully their respective duties ; he will take that 
 opportunity of explaining to them his system, the text- 
 books he wishes them to use, the class-books, tracts, or 
 papers which he wishes them to distribute. 
 
 A week or more may be profitably spent in going over 
 with them these books, tracts, papers, &c., and seeing 
 that they themselves understand what they undertake 
 to teach, a thing which he can hj no means afford to 
 take for granted. 
 
 He will then ascertain, and note down the amount of 
 time each is able or willing to devote to this work ; the 
 numbers each is willing to take in hand, and the descrip- 
 tion of catechumens for which each is best suited. 
 
 He need have no scruple in employing the pupil 
 teachers in this business, because it is essentially school 
 work, and the best description of practice they can be 
 put to. In no other way will they so readily acquire 
 the art of teaching, in no other way will they so perma- 
 
141 
 
 nently fix on their minds those fundamental truths of 
 their religion^ which are the groundwork of all educa- 
 tion. Still, however, he will be careful to employ them 
 where they will be most useful, among the younger cate- 
 chumens, their companions, or late companions in the 
 school. 
 
 Visitors also and Sunday-school teachers he will find 
 extremely useful in their own particular way ; there will 
 always be some among the catechumens, who will have 
 to relearn even the Creed and the Commandments, and 
 many a Visitor, whose good- will and patience are greater 
 than his learning or acquirements, will here do good 
 service ; lady visitors will generally have three or four 
 families of their own particular dependents and followers, 
 the children of which, particularly the girls, they will 
 teach and advise under the Parson^ s instructions, very 
 much better than he could do it himself. 
 
 His schoolmasters and his male lay assistants, should 
 he be fortunate enough to possess any, will occupy them- 
 selves with the young men who can get released from 
 their work at irregular times only. In some parishes he 
 may get a certain amount of assistance also from the 
 clerk or sexton, and, in truth, there is generally work 
 enough for all. 
 
 The business of the Curate or Curates will be to cir- 
 culate about the parish, to ascertain or confirm the cha- 
 racters of the catechumens, to encourage those who are 
 frightened, to reprove those who are slack, to carry mes- 
 sages to the sponsors and parents, to distribute the exa- 
 mination papers, and occasionally to give a hint in filling 
 them up. Generally they are to supply any deficiencies 
 among the teachers, to show them how to do their work, 
 and to assist them in it. 
 
 It may be supposed that the Parson has had himself 
 some previous notice of the intended Confirmation, and 
 by this time he will have called upon all the mistresses 
 of families in his parish, and will have ascertained and 
 noticed in his book how often, and at what hours, they 
 are willing to spare their servants for examination, 
 what chance these servants will have of home instruc- 
 
142 
 
 tion and assistance^ and what example is likely to be set 
 them by the families in which they are employed. But 
 after he has once given notice in the Chnrch_, his busi- 
 ness lies at home^ not only because he will have reports 
 to receive_, books and tracts to distribute^ and directions 
 to give to his various assistants^ whose whole day^s work 
 may very possibly be stopped if the Parson is doing his 
 Curate^s work and perambulating the parish^ but prin- 
 cipally^ because it is his duty to be always ready to re- 
 ceive the catechumens as they are sent to him^ to exa- 
 mine each, for the first time, singly, and to classify them 
 according to their respective attainments and disposi- 
 tions. It will not answer, in a large, or even moderately 
 sized parish, to appoint a particular hour for this ; his 
 catechumens will mostly be in business of one sort or 
 other, and will not be able to choose their own time for 
 attending. From the very nature of the case, it is 
 necessary that he should see them singly, either alone 
 or attended by their respective sponsors, as they 
 themselves think best ; and if he appoints a particular 
 hour for them, there will always be an assemblage of 
 young people waiting for their turns of audience, with- 
 out any one to superintend them, a thing most particu- 
 larly to be avoided. 
 
 After the business of classification is over, which will 
 itself take much longer than might be expected, from 
 the shyness of the stranger catechumens, and their un- 
 willingness to come forward, the Parson will not be re- 
 leased from his home work; the office of teaching he 
 may very profitably delegate to others, but the exami- 
 nation of conscience he can delegate to none. He 
 must remember that Confirmation follows the law of 
 every sacramental ordinance; that a grace is thereby 
 given and received, which can in no case be inoperative, 
 that, if it be not a savour of life, it is, and must be, a 
 savour of death, and that since habitual sin, unrepented 
 sin, and even levity and heedlessness, will turn God^s 
 blessing into a curse, it is his duty to see that none be 
 presented to the Bishop who are unfit, not in an intel- 
 lectual point of view, — that is comparatively of little 
 
SINFULNESS THE AGGREGATE OF SINS. 143 
 
 importance, for no damnation is attached to that, — bnt 
 in a moral and religions point of view. 
 
 It may be objected that this involves of necessity 
 Auricnlar Confession. Most indisputably it does ; most 
 indisputably it is out of the question that any Parson 
 can prepare his catechumens at all without it. Confir- 
 mation, we must recollect, since it is the imparting to 
 the catechumen sufficient strength from God to enable 
 him to receive to his souFs health the grace of Christ^s 
 Body and Blood, is in reality the preparation for the 
 Holy Communion, and the Holy Communion is itself 
 the preparation for death and judgment. 
 
 If in the preparation of our people for death and judg- 
 ment we were simply to call upon our penitents to confess 
 themselves sinners in general terms, and to urge them to 
 throw themselves on their Saviour for mercy and for- 
 giveness, we should be doing our duty, theoretically per- 
 haps, but practically we should be doing very little of it 
 indeed. There is not a man who will not readily call 
 himself, and allow you to call him, a sinner, with any 
 number of cumulative epithets you may select from the 
 Bible ; he calls himself a sinner, just as he would call 
 himself dark, or fair, or tall, or short : a fact, no doubt, 
 but a fact with which he has personally little to do. 
 The point that he cannot realise is, that a sinner is a 
 man who has committed one or more sins ; hint that he 
 has committed any one sin to entitle him to that name 
 which he has admitted so readily, and he denies it and 
 is ofifended. 
 
 If sinfulness be the aggregate of particular sins, then 
 it is evident, that to convince a man of his sinfulness, you 
 must convince him of his having committed special sins. 
 
 It is upon this fact that the directions in the Prayer 
 Book are founded. And, as preparation for Confirma- 
 tion is in fact preparation for the First Communion, 
 these directions must be more minutely attended to at 
 this time than at any other, because this preparation is 
 a sample of the Christianas preparation for every subse- 
 quent Communion. The catechumen, in fact, is learning 
 a lesson under the eye of the Parson, which must be 
 
144 ' CONFESSION. 
 
 learnt^ like everytHng else, by doing it, but which, when 
 learnt, he will be able to put in practice by himself on 
 future occasions. 
 
 Auricular Confession should very rarely be suffered to 
 become periodical or habitual, because this destroys the 
 sense of personal responsibility, and weakens by disuse 
 the healthy action of the conscience ; it will, no doubt, 
 be practised by the Christian, more or less, through his 
 whole life on special occasions, because there is no time 
 of life in which unusual spiritual difficulties may not 
 beset us, and unforeseen temptations lay hold upon us, 
 although it will be less and less needed every year that 
 the mind grows stronger, the habits more confirmed, 
 and the conscience more practised. 
 
 But this is not the case with the catechumens. They 
 are now learning this most necessary discipline, just as 
 they are learning their Catechism, or their Faith and 
 Duty, and the Parson is now teaching them how in after 
 life to reckon up their sins, and to confess them to God. 
 He is giving them a rule to measure their sins by, 
 which he instructs them to use for themselves, and is 
 ready at any time to assist them in applying, and there- 
 fore it is, that though the discipline of confession is salu- 
 tary at all times, and on a death-bed comforting to the 
 soul, at Confirmation it is not only salutary and com- 
 forting, but indispensable. 
 
 The Parson therefore will take the Prayer Book for 
 his rule, and after stating in general terms the propo- 
 sition on which he is to build all the rest, namely, that 
 men are sinners, and that it is from their Lord^s mercy 
 alone that they can expect forgiveness, he will direct his 
 catechumens to anticipate Di\dne Judgment by judging 
 themselves. They are to '*^ judge themselves, that they 
 be not judged of the Lord.^^ He then shows them how 
 to do it j that is to say, by the ^' rule of God^s Com- 
 mandments,^^ according to which they will probably be 
 judged on the Last Day. 
 
 He will do this by actually laying the Ten Command- 
 ments before them one after another, as I have attempted 
 to do, and pointing out the different ways in which these 
 
POPULAR PREJUDICE. 145 
 
 Commandments can be broken — ^requiring his catechu- 
 men to examine his past life upon each of these points 
 separately — leaving him even them to do it himself, if 
 he finds himself capable of doing it ; not pressing help 
 upon him, only offering to assist him if he should find 
 any difiiculty. He will find difficulty if he gives his 
 mind to it at all, and will come for assistance, which of 
 course the Parson cannot give him unless he states what 
 his difficulty is ; that is to say, confesses his sin. 
 Therefore we do urge him_, and we should not be acting 
 up to our duty if we did not urge him, that " if by this 
 means he cannot quiet his own conscience, but requireth 
 further help or counsel, he should come to us or to some 
 other minister whom he may prefer, and open his grief/^ 
 
 For this reason we should not do well to put any check 
 on other priests preparing our young parishioners for 
 Confirmation. It is a preparation of conscience, and, 
 according to the analogy of the Prayer Book, the peni- 
 tent has a perfect right to select his spiritual assistant. 
 A Priest would be very wrong to put himself forward in 
 another man^s parish, and to disturb another man^s 
 parochial arrangements; but he ought not to refuse 
 such an office if pressed upon him, nor ought the parish 
 Priest to refuse tickets for Confirmation to such cate- 
 chumens, unless he has any other reasons for so doing. 
 
 There is a popular prejudice against the word Auri- 
 cular Confession, and this act of discipline is confounded, 
 frequently from ignorance, much more frequently from 
 design, with the Eomish doctrine bearing the same name. 
 
 Whatever they may be in name or in theory, in prac- 
 tice no two things can be more essentially different ; and 
 the difference lies in this, that, in the Church of Eng- 
 land, Auricular Confession is not of necessity private, 
 and can never be compulsory. The Parson certainly 
 would exclude from Confirmation an open and notorious 
 evil liver, just as he would exclude such a person from 
 Communion ; but as he cannot take upon himself to 
 forbid from either, one who does not choose to open his 
 conscience to him, but must in that case be satisfied 
 with a general warning on the consequences of unre- 
 
 H 
 
146 USE OF SPONSORS. 
 
 pented sin_, so under no assignable circumstances can 
 Confession be other than a matter of the freest choice. 
 
 Neither is Confession^ even though it be Auricular^ 
 necessarily private. It will very frequently be so, be- 
 cause the catechumen himself will prefer it, and, except 
 in very particular cases, the Parson has no right to 
 object to this. But it is not so of necessity ; Confession 
 may very properly be made in the presence of a witness ; 
 most properly, in the case of a catechumen preparing 
 for Confirmation, in the presence of a sponsor. It may 
 be made even through a sponsor in the absence of the 
 penitent, if it be made with the penitent^s consent. 
 
 It is the custom among popular lecturers and de- 
 claimers to represent Confession as a system of ques- 
 tioning on the Seventh Commandment, and, in support 
 of this view, liberal quotations are made from Romish 
 authors. What may be the practice of the Church of 
 Rome, it is of little consequence for us to inquire. In 
 that of the Church of England, the Seventh Command- 
 ment, from its very nature, occupies a much smaller 
 portion of the subject than any of the others. Still, it 
 is quite certain that instances wiU. occur under this 
 head, in one or other of the catechumens, in every Con- 
 firmation ; and it is equally certain that that sin, which 
 is just as deadly as any other, may not be passed over 
 from motives of false delicacy. 
 
 But here, more especially, the system of sponsors 
 comes into play, and sponsors in this case imply parents 
 also. No doubt the Parson will, from time to time, be 
 compelled to hear cases privately, because, if his peni- 
 tents object to the presence of another person, even a 
 sponsor, they have a perfect right to do so ; and his 
 male penitents frequently will object, and now and then 
 his female penitents also, though very seldom, if the 
 case be rightly set before them. In that case, he has 
 but to pray God for grace to direct him to hear and to 
 advise, and then to do it according to the best of his 
 judgment ; but as a rule he wiU do well to hear all such 
 matters in the presence of a sponsor, not only for his 
 own sake, but because the sponsor, being a parent or a 
 
CONFESSION A PRIVILEGE. 147 
 
 near relation^ will be a more perpetual check against 
 any subsequent relapse in tbe penitent, than the Parson 
 could possibly be himself, and will have derived from 
 this participation in the act of Confession a spiritual 
 authority_, a sort of domestic delegation of the priest- 
 hood_, which he did not possess before. 
 
 People who lecture and declaim against Confession are 
 generally themselves very indifferent Christians, to whom 
 this discipline, were it generally admitted to be neces- 
 sary, would be a grievous burden. By their opposition 
 to the whole system of voluntary Confession, — that is 
 to say, the confession of other people, they bear unwilling 
 testimony to the truth of the doctrine. No man is 
 asked to confess if he does not like it ; and, therefore, 
 no man could possibly object to his neighbour, who does 
 like it, making a voluntary confession, unless he felt in 
 his heart that his neighbour's confession was a tacit re- 
 proof to himself. 
 
 These men naturally enough represent Confession as 
 a grievous burden imposed by ambitious and tyrannical 
 Priests upon their flocks, which burden it is the duty of 
 all who compassionate these poor people, and would re- 
 sist priestly usurpation, to help them to throw off. But 
 the fact is, those who practise it themselves do not re- 
 gard it as a burden at all, but as a privilege. They con- 
 sider it a blessing (as, indeed, it is very natural that 
 they should) that they possess an adviser, whose sole 
 business it is to study the Will of God, and whose duty 
 it is to advise them whenever they think they want 
 advice. 
 
 I should say myself, that among those who are in any 
 way anxious for their soul's welfare, the difi&culty is not 
 to get them to confess, but to prevent them from throw- 
 ing the whole responsibility in every little case of doubt 
 upon their Parson, instead of exercising their own judg- 
 ment upon it ; and that it is a point on which the Parson 
 will very frequently have to exercise his discretion, 
 whether, in a given case, he ought to encourage the 
 desire of Confession, or to repress it. 
 
 There is no doubt but that when God gave to men a 
 h2 
 
148 CONFESSION NATURAL TO CHILDREN. 
 
 reason and a judgment, enlightened by the Holy Ghost^ 
 He gave them that gift in order that they should use it 
 themselves, and that they are not doing their duty to 
 God when they permit His gifts to lie idle, thus suffering 
 other men^s judgment to work for them. Nevertheless, 
 it is extremely natural, and, when not carried to excess, 
 absolutely warranted by Scripture, that they should seek 
 the ad^dce of those in whom they have confidence. So 
 far fi'om men being driven to confession, the fact is, 
 that wherever their privilege is fairly set before them, 
 and properly explained to them, they seek it to an ex- 
 tent that is not only burdensome to the Priest, but some- 
 times even injurious to themselves. 
 
 But if this is the case with penitents generally, very 
 much more is it the case with those catechumens who 
 have grown up in the parish in which they are now to 
 be confirmed. Most of these have but lately left school, 
 where they have been accustomed to look forward to 
 the Parson^s periodical visits and weekly examinations 
 with pleasure. They have been accustomed to refer to 
 him their school grievances and childish diflQculties ; 
 besides being the author of their school festivities and 
 pleasures, he has been their supreme court of appeal, 
 and they generally leave school with an exaggerated idea 
 of their Parson^s power and benevolence. 
 
 With such ideas, it is most natural that, when reason 
 begins to awake, and they begin to feel for the first time 
 the reality and danger of their sins and spiritual hin- 
 drances, that they should come for advice and relief in 
 those weightier matters to him who has been their ad- 
 viser and support in their childish difficulties. 
 
 This feeling will gradually wear away, and so it should ; 
 it will wear away in proportion as they have accustomed 
 themselves or have been led by the instructions of their 
 Parson to make use of their own judgment; but the 
 natural feeling of childhood is reliance on others, and in 
 this particular case the feeling is strengthened by habit. 
 As they grow up to manhood, the Parson will himself 
 encoui^age the growing feeling of self-responsibility, by 
 calling upon them to decide for themselves whenever he 
 
PERSONAL CHARACTER OF THE CONFESSOR. 149 
 
 thinks them capable of so doing ; for the well-known 
 school axiom, that ^^the lesson which the pupil has 
 taught himself is of ten times the value of that which 
 he has learnt from any other person/^ runs through the 
 entire life of man. But he must be very cautious about 
 beginning this lesson while he is preparing them for 
 Confirmation, for this evident reason ; however much 
 their judgment is to be trusted in after life on the 
 ordinary and usual occasions in which it is called forth, 
 it is not to be trusted then, because to one just emerging 
 from childhood every occasion he meets with is new and 
 unusual. 
 
 It is perfectly evident that such preparation as this 
 must have been begun long before the notice of Con- 
 firmation. Before people, old or young, will come to 
 their Parson on such subjects as these, their Parson 
 must have earned their confidence ; they must have been 
 already accustomed to talk with him, and they must be 
 already quite sure that he will sympathise with and 
 enter into their difficulties. When Confession is con- 
 sidered as a duty, and Absolution is not to be had with- 
 out it, as in the Eoman Church, people go to it as a 
 duty, and think but little of the personal character of 
 the Priest to whom they confess. But when, as in our 
 Church, Confession is a privilege, and the general abso- 
 lution may be applied by each penitent for himself to 
 the remission of his own remembered sins, people will 
 not go to Confession unless they feel at home with him 
 to whom they are confessing. There is a natural shy- 
 ness, particularly from inferiors in social station towards 
 those to whom they are in the habit of looking up as 
 their superiors ; and until they are accustomed to make 
 their little confidences to their Parson about things of 
 this world, they will not feel that he can sympathise with 
 them in the temptations afiecting their interests in the 
 world to come. To be a Romish Father Confessor is 
 easy ; but before a man can become an English Father 
 Confessor, his people must have learned to look upon 
 him somewhat in the light of a father. 
 
 There is no criterion of a Parson^s work so infallible 
 
150 PERSONAL CHARACTER OF THE CONFESSOR. 
 
 as this. Men will not talk of their spiritual difficulties 
 to one who has not evidenced to them his spiritual cha- 
 racter ; nor will they talk of their difficulties at all to 
 one who has not shown himself their consistent and dis- 
 interested friend. Popularity and overflowing congre- 
 gations go for very little; these things are generally 
 tributes to intellectual superiority^ not to faithfulness or 
 moral worth. When people confess voluntarily^ they 
 must have confidence in him to whom they confess; 
 when people seek sympathy, they seek it where they 
 have been in the habit of finding it; and when they 
 want spiritual direction, they go, not to the popular 
 preacher, but to the man of God. Other tests may be 
 fallacious, that is infallible ; popularity of all sorts may 
 change, this is unchangeable ; when people are in tem- 
 poral or spiritual prosperity, they may remember their 
 mere preacher or mere visitor, or they may forget him, 
 as the case may be ; but when adversity, temporal or 
 spiritual, comes over them, as come it will, then they 
 remember him whom, from long previous experience, 
 they recollect as their sympathiser and their friend. 
 They may listen to the preaching of others, but to him 
 ^^ they open their grief." 
 
ABSOLUTION. 
 
 AD CLERUM. 
 
 " That by the ministry of God's Holy Word he may receive the be- 
 nefit of Absolution, together with ghostly counsel and advice, to the 
 quieting of his conscience, and the avoiding of all scruple and doubtful- 
 ness." — Exhortation to the Holy Communion. 
 
 It would convey a very imperfect idea of the Priest^ s 
 office, were tlie question of Confession ever considered 
 apart from that of Absolution. The penitent seeks his 
 Priest in Confession, not only as the best informed man 
 that he can find on the subject of God^s Word, but as 
 the ^' Ambassador of Christ '^ also, and '^ the Steward 
 of the Mysteries of God.^^ In truth, it is something 
 more than advice that he wants ; it is the earnest of 
 forgiveness. It is extremely natural that he should do 
 so, and not at all unscriptural. He has been hearing, 
 every morning and evening of his life, that " Almighty 
 God hath given power and commandment to His minis- 
 ters to declare and pronounce to His people, being pe- 
 nitent, the Absolution and remission of their sins/^ It 
 is very natural that he should attach some meaning to 
 that expression, and should demand of God^s Ambas- 
 sador the message which, as he feels himself penitent, 
 he has been told his Master has sent him. He thinks 
 that, as he knows himself to be Christ^s faithful though 
 erring servant, he has a right to that grace of which he 
 has been taught to consider his Parson the steward j and 
 the actual fact is, our people do demand it very much 
 more frequently than their Parson feels himself war- 
 ranted in giving it. 
 
 The very idea of a '^ Steward " is that of a ^^ servant 
 
152 
 
 whom the Lord hath set over His household to give 
 them their meat in due season/^ 
 
 It may be the duty of that Steward at one particular 
 season to give it_, at another to withhold it_, — at one 
 to give it in one particular manner^ at another to give 
 it in some other manner perfectly different. From the 
 very circumstance of that servant^ s being selected to 
 give meat to the household_, it is inferred that he pos- 
 sesses discretion sufficient,, not only to give them their 
 meat, but to give it them in due season — that is to say, 
 to dispense the grace entrusted to his keeping in such 
 proportions and at such times as will benefit the re- 
 ceivers most. Still it is essentially necessary that at all 
 times and in all places he claim the office and dignity of 
 a " Steward/^ that he show always that to him is en- 
 trusted the grace which he distributes. 
 
 The question of Absolution does not stand by itself, 
 but is part of the general constitution of Christ's 
 Church, and must be examined in connection with the 
 general law of God's dealings with a chosen people, to 
 whom He assigns privileges which are not the property 
 of mankind in general. 
 
 The state of Christ's Church is in all respects an 
 advance on that of the Mosaic Church, as that is an ad- 
 vance on the Patriarchal. This advance takes away no- 
 thing that mankind possessed before, but the increase of 
 gifts is limited to those persons to whom they are given, 
 and to those means by which they are conveyed. 
 
 Thus, under the Patriarchal Dispensation, all men 
 could approach God in prayer with a good hope of 
 acceptance. 
 
 Under the Mosaic, some men could approach Jehovah 
 in prescribed ways with the certainty of acceptance. 
 
 Nothing was taken away. Those men who could have 
 approached God before with a good hope, could do so 
 equally now — outside the Jewish Dispensation, hut not 
 within it. God's mercy which had been before a general 
 shallow flood, was now, for the accepted people, gathered 
 within banks, and had become a deep stream ; but it was 
 narrowed as it was deepened. 
 
THE THEORY OF ABSOLUTION. 153 
 
 The law of tlie Christian Church is an extension of 
 these principles. Nothing hitherto given is taken away ; 
 no one is bound by Christian rules who is not within the 
 special covenant ; but all grace and all mercy in it is 
 ministered to the peculiar people by the appointed ways. 
 This is the general law of God^s Church_, and the 
 theory of Absolution follows this general law. 
 
 Natural religion teaches us that the merciful God for- 
 gives the penitent man. 
 
 The Patriarchal religion gives a warrant to this belief. 
 The Mosaic clears and certifies this warrant, but at 
 the same time narrows it by the introduction of a 
 sacrificial and mediatorial system. 
 
 The Christian religion declares absolutely the remis- 
 sion of sins through the Blood of Christ, and at the 
 same time appoints not only channels of grace in the 
 Sacraments and Christian ordinances, but Ambassadors 
 of the Message and Stewards of the Mysteries. 
 
 The penitent absolved under the Christian Dispensa- 
 tion is in a state of far more perfect reconciliation than 
 he could be under any other dispensation whatever, be- 
 cause he is in a covenant of forgiveness, and has a title 
 to it by a special declaration from God. This title is 
 assured to him in the first instance through Baptism, 
 by which he is brought into the number of the recon- 
 ciled — '^'^We receive him into the congregation of 
 Christ's fiock.^^ But if after Baptism he fall away, 
 and the handwriting of judgment come out upon the 
 wall of his soul, and he acknowledge it and is penitent, 
 then he is forgiven. The eternal laws of God^s king- 
 dom would be violated were he not forgiven, because 
 Forgiveness is one of the covenants of his Baptism, — 
 one of the constitutions on which the Church of Christ 
 as ^^the Gospel" is founded, — and without which it 
 would not be ^'^the Gospel." He Who founded a 
 " Church of Christ," gave to that Church, as an es- 
 sential part of it, a Ministry of reconciliation, a power 
 of restoring penitent men to their former place, a com- 
 mission to declare to the penitent what God has decreed 
 in heaven. This is Absolution. It is essentially de- 
 h 3 
 
154 THE THEORY OF ABSOLUTION. 
 
 claratoiy, — not a formal declaration^ but an official act 
 of tte New Kingdom^ by whicb tbe place of a reconciled 
 and faithful subject, with all its grace and blessing, is 
 again made over to tbe penitent ; and it is by this, as 
 by an official act, that tbe penitent, who is already for- 
 given by tbe action of tbe eternal laws of tbe Eternal 
 Kingdom, is made, from a forgiven man, into a restored 
 Christian. 
 
 The question naturally arises. Does the man, other- 
 wise forgiven in heaven, forfeit his newly-obtained for- 
 giveness if he refuse to seek Absolution, the official sign 
 of it, at the hands of Gtod^s Ambassador on earth? 
 Every analogy would lead us to suppose so. The peni- 
 tent under the Patriarchal Dispensation might have been 
 forgiven on his simple penitence, but the Jew certainly 
 would not have been forgiven, had he not in addition 
 offered the appointed sacrifices " which could never take 
 away sins,^^ because that was the way in which God had 
 appointed him to plead his forgiveness. In the transi- 
 tion state between the Jewish and the Christian Dis- 
 pensations, the leper cleansed without the intervention 
 of the Priest was ordered by Him Who cleansed him to 
 show himself to the Priest, and offer the gift that Moses 
 commanded, — no doubt, for the very reason which He 
 gave for His own Baptism, ^^ because thus it became 
 Him to fulfil all righteousness.'^ And in the Christian 
 Dispensation the antitype of these things, — the solemn 
 institution, ^' Whose sins soever ye remit,^^ — would 
 have been an idle and a useless form, had there been no 
 office attached to the commission, or had the interven- 
 tion of the person commissioned been unnecessary to 
 the transmission of the message. An Ambassador of 
 Christ implies an Embassy, a Steward of the Mysteries 
 of God implies a Trust. 
 
 Again, if we take up the analogy of the kingdoms of 
 this world, (and we may suppose that Christ intended 
 us to take up this analogy, by so pointedly and so re- 
 peatedly calling His Church the Kingdom of God), the 
 monarch, of his own free grace, pardons the traitor, and 
 he is pardoned ; but nevertheless the law would take its 
 
THE THEORY OF ABSOLUTION. 155 
 
 course, and tlie traitor would forfeit his pardon did lie 
 refuse to plead it at the appointed courts,, and before 
 the appointed officers of the crown that has pardoned 
 him : and most justly would he forfeit it. That act, 
 mere ceremony as it is, is his homage, is his acknow- 
 ledgment of the authority of the Crown, and by the 
 very act of refusing to plead, he commits a fresh trea- 
 son, and denies or despises the authority of the Crown 
 that pardons him. 
 
 This general doctrine the Church of England holds 
 in common with the Church of Rome ; the difference 
 between them lies in the application and practice. The 
 Church of Rome holds that a particular Absolution 
 after private Confession is necessary for the restoration 
 of the penitent; the Church of England denies that 
 this is either primitive or Scriptural doctrine, and says 
 that general Confession and general Absolution are suf- 
 ficient for the power of the Keys. These, therefore, 
 she provides for all; but retaining, as she does, the 
 power of special Absolution, she limits it, as a strong 
 spiritual cordial, to those cases of strong spiritual neces- 
 sity which call for its exercise. 
 
 Before we come to consider the safest and most dis- 
 creet manner of exercising the power vested in the 
 Priest of the English Church, it is necessary to define 
 accurately what the amount of that power is. 
 
 First, suppose the Absolution to be duly pronounced 
 over a man not really penitent. We have the precise 
 case in Scripture. " Peace be to this house,^^ is one of 
 the numerous forms of Absolution found in the Bible, 
 since without forgiveness there can be no peace. '' If 
 the Son of Peace be there '^ — that is, if a man fit to 
 receive peace be there — then the Absolution is con- 
 firmed, — peace rests on that house, — if not, then it 
 returns to him who brought it. 
 
 Secondly, are none forgiven except those who have re- 
 ceived the due form of Absolution pronounced by the 
 duly-commissioned herald ? Certainly, many are. The 
 servant is not above his Lord. The Ambassador can- 
 not do more than the King Who gave him his commis- 
 
156 THE THEORY OF ABSOLUTION. 
 
 sion. Many were forgiven in heaven to whom Christ 
 pronounced no word of forgiveness. So it is now. 
 There is a difference between not being able to plead the 
 pardon of the Crown^ and refusing to plead the pardon 
 of the Crown. We must not imagine that Absolution 
 by the Priest alters the sentence of God in heaven ; it 
 authoritatively conveys the certainty of it to the sinner^s 
 sonl while on earthy without which he may have been 
 forgiven by Gon^ but while on earth he never would 
 know it. 
 
 Thirdly^ is this Absolution valid when pronounced by 
 any other person than the priest ? The meaning of the 
 original word KY,pv(T(r=tv, and its Latin equivalent, prcedi- 
 care, will declare this at once. " Can any be a Herald 
 except he be sent V^ and " No man taketh this honour 
 to himself but he that is called of God, as was Aaron/^ 
 — that is to say, not called of God directly, but called, 
 as Aaron was, by one commissioned by God to call him. 
 Those whom Christ has sent, either personally or by 
 the hands of those whom He has commissioned to send 
 them, are His Ambassadors, and none else. AYe are so 
 sent : therefore we are the Ambassadors of Christ, and 
 we, and none else, carry His message. 
 
 General Absolution is an application made by the 
 penitent of the foniis found in the Prayer Book and 
 pronounced by the Priest. Special Absolution is de- 
 fined to be the " ministry of God^s Holy Word," which 
 has been very fairly explained as a " particular applica- 
 tion in particular cases of God^s promises for the relief 
 of a conscience burdened with any special sin.^^^ It 
 may be applied thus : — 
 
 Jesus Christ was sent by the Father to pronounce 
 forgiveness of sins to the penitent. 
 
 Jesus Christ commissioned others to act in His 
 Name — " As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I 
 you." He continues the succession of commissioned 
 Ministers beyond the life of those then on earth — " Lo, 
 I am with you alway, even to the end of the world." 
 
 Therefore, Jesus Christ, Who has sent us, and is 
 
 ^ Statement of the Plymouth Clergy. 
 
THE THEORY OF ABSOLUTION. 157 
 
 with US always, has sent us especially to pronounce for- 
 giveness on the special penitent before us. 
 
 For this purpose His Scriptures,, which contain many 
 instances of the delivery of similar messages^ either by 
 Christ Himself or by His commissioned servants^ supply 
 us with the authorised form of words which we, His 
 authorised servants^ and none else, are commissioned to 
 deliver. 
 
 It will be seen^ therefore,, that^ though the Church of 
 England repudiates the practice of the Church of Rome 
 with respect both to Confession and Absolution^ as un- 
 warranted by Scripture and dangerous, yet that she 
 claims precisely the same power, by virtue of her com- 
 mission, as that which in theory is claimed by Rome 
 itself, and on fitting occasions exercises it in the same 
 manner. And this is her warrant. 
 
 Take these three sentences. 
 
 1. "Receive ye the Holy Gthost : whosesoever sins 
 ye remit, they are remitted unto them ; and whosesoever 
 sins ye retain, they are retained.^^~S. John xx. 22, 23. 
 
 2. ^^ Receive the Holy Ghost, for the office and 
 work of a Priest in the Church of God, now committed 
 unto thee by the imposition of our hands : whose sins 
 thou dost forgive, they are forgiven ; whose sins thou 
 dost retain, they are retained.^^ — Prayer Booh, Ordi- 
 nation Seiwice. 
 
 3. "By His (Christ's) authority committed unto me 
 I absolve thee from all thy sins." — Prayer Book, Visi- 
 tation Service. 
 
 The first of these sentences recognises the power of 
 pronouncing forgiveness of sins, as lodged in the hands 
 of man by God Himself. 
 
 The second recognises that power as vested in the 
 Priests of the English Church, by the tenour of their 
 commission. 
 
 The third recognises the actual exercise of that power 
 by the Priests so commissioned. 
 
 It is absolutely necessary that all this should be plainly 
 and distinctly set forth before the catechumens who are 
 preparing for Confirmation. It is the first practical ex- 
 
158 THE FORM IN WHICH 
 
 perience they have of a great and essential doctrine of 
 the Church. No doubt they have heard before this, 
 that Christ is willing to receive again, on their true re- 
 pentance and faithful desire of amendment^ those who, 
 having vowed themselves His soldiers and servants, have 
 nevertheless deserted Him, and rebelled against Him. 
 They have heard also that on such occasions He sends 
 His forgiveness by those whom He calls His Ambas- 
 sadors, men chosen indeed from among the people, but 
 sanctified to Him for this particular purpose. They 
 have heard this, but up to the present time it has been 
 to them a mere theory, which, as it has never been ap- 
 plied to their own cases, they have very imperfectly 
 realised. As soon, therefore, as they begin to feel the 
 personal nature of their ovm responsibilities, and the 
 weight of their own sins, so soon they must be shown 
 Who it is that pardons them, and how it is that He does 
 it. There is not only present relief and comfort in this, 
 but there is a lesson to be learnt also, which may be 
 treasured up for after life ; they must be taught the re- 
 sources which the Church puts into their hands, and 
 they must learn how to make use of them, should occa- 
 sion require. 
 
 But while this doctrine is carefully and practically 
 taught, it is not only unnecessary, but highly inexpedient, 
 that the more personal and special forms of Absolution 
 should be used. The case of those who, having neg- 
 lected the ordinance of Confirmation, seek it in after 
 life, is altogether exceptional, but among our younger 
 catechumens it very seldom happens that the sins they 
 have to speak about press so heavily on their consciences, 
 or have become so confirmed and habitual, as to require 
 a special Absolution. Of all things, religious excite- 
 ment is the frame of mind which is most carefully to be 
 avoided, while, at the same time, the lesson most espe- 
 cially to be taught, is that they should know how to 
 seek their comfort in the ordinary provision which the 
 Church has made for them. 
 
 Reserving therefore to ourselves in this case, as in 
 every other, the full power of exercising the commission 
 
ABSOLUTION IS CONVEYED. 159 
 
 granted us by tlie English Cliurcli^ we should not scruple 
 to apply it in any form which the Bible or Prayer Book 
 warrants^ to any case which we judged as requiring it. 
 But in the exercise of our discretion^ we do invariably 
 refer our younger catechumens for their Absolution^ to 
 that particular form of it which they hear pronounced in 
 the morning and evening services; but more especially 
 to that which they are expecting to partake of in the 
 office for the Communion. We teach them then and 
 there to receive^ with thankful hearts^ the message from 
 GoD_, which we, His Ambassadors_, are authorised to 
 convey to them. We instruct them to apply this mes- 
 sage of forgiveness to those particular sins which they 
 have been confessing to us. We do this because, ac- 
 cording to the best of our judgment, we believe it to be 
 most in accordance with the intentions of the Prayer 
 Book so to do, and most useful to the young persons 
 whom we are instructing in the discipline of their 
 Church. 
 
 We do, however, exhibit to them also the special forms 
 of Absolution, and show them how they may be used, 
 and when they may be necessary, but we never do this 
 without explaining to them that they are just as fully and 
 just as completely forgiven by a due appropriation to 
 their own case of the general forms which they hear pro- 
 nounced every day, as they would be by any private or 
 particular Absolution whatever : so that when we meet 
 them in after life, they do not desire that which to them 
 is unnecessary, because they have been fully taught, that 
 no wit of man can frame a form of Absolution more full, 
 more perfect, and more complete than that which they 
 possess in the ordinary services of the Church, which 
 by faith and penitence they may always make their own^ 
 and which, when so appropriated, is not the less their 
 own because it is shared with hundreds of others faithful 
 as themselves, or because it is pronounced over hundreds 
 of men who are unworthy of it, and incapable of receiv- 
 ing it. They wish for no such special and personal form 
 as that which they see in the Visitation Service, and to 
 which others erroneously attach a greater value and im- 
 
160 THE THREE FORMS IDENTICAL. 
 
 portance, because they have been shown that it is the very- 
 same thing which they possess themselves^ only adapted 
 to a duller apprehension^ or a more diseased conscience : 
 a stimulant, in fact> well suited to cases of unnatural 
 depression or unreasonable fears, or recovery from a long- 
 continued habit of definite acts of sin, but neither neces- 
 sary, nor wholesome, nor desirable, for quiet, sober- 
 minded faithful Christians like themselves. 
 
 This is a lesson very generally overlooked, and in prac- 
 tice very generally forgotten; but it is a lesson just as 
 necessary to be taught as any other, and there is no time 
 so good for teaching it, because there is no time in which 
 it can be taught so strikingly and practically, as during 
 the period of preparation for Confirmation. It seems 
 strange that people should require to be reminded that 
 forgiveness of sins, if it be any thing at all, must be for- 
 giveness, under whatever form it is conveyed, and under 
 no form can be any thing more than forgiveness; that 
 one expression of it may be more fitting in one case, and 
 another in another case ; but that the Church has no 
 more three Absolutions than she has tliree Creeds. It 
 is strange that people cannot see this ; but they do not. 
 Clergymen, even, who ought to understand the rationale 
 of their own Prayer Book, if any do, will shrink from 
 using the Absolution in the Visitation Service, not be- 
 cause they consider it too exciting for the particular 
 state of mind in the penitent, but because they are 
 afraid of arrogating to themselves a greater power than 
 Christ has given them, as if it were a greater exercise 
 of authority to pronounce forgiveness to one penitent, 
 than it is to pronounce it to hundreds. A very little 
 reflection would convince them of the soundness of 
 Bishop Sparrow^ s explanation, which both they and their 
 flocks would do well to study. ^' All these several forms," 
 says the Bishop, " in sense and virtue are the same. For 
 as \vhen a prince hath granted a commission to any ser- 
 vant of his, to release out of prison all penitent oftenders 
 whatsoever, it were all one in effect as to the prisoners^ 
 discharge, whether this servant says, '^By virtue of a 
 commission granted to me under the prince's hand and 
 
BAPTISM IS ABSOLUTION. 161 
 
 seal which I here show^ I release this prisoner ;^ or thus, 
 ' The prince who hath given me this commission, he par- 
 dons you ;^ or, lastly, ^ The prince pardon and deliver 
 you/ the prince standing by and confirming the word of 
 his servant. So it is here all one as to the remission of 
 sins in the penitent, whether the Priest absolves him after 
 this form, — '' Almighty God, Who hath given me and all 
 Priests power to pronounce pardon to the penitent. He 
 •pardons you f or thus, ^ By virtue of a commission granted 
 to me from God, I absolve you ;' or, lastly, ' God pardon 
 you, namely, by me. His servant, according to His pro- 
 mise/ All these are but several expressions of the same 
 thing, and are effectual to the penitent in virtue of that 
 commission — S. John xx. ''Whose sins ye remit, they 
 are remitted •/ which commission in two of these forms 
 is expressed, and in the last, namely, that of the Com- 
 munion, is sufficiently implied and supposed/'' 
 
 That Church which recognises holy Baptism, has al- 
 ready admitted the principle of Absolution at the hands 
 of the Priest to its fullest extent. That Priest who has 
 ever baptized, has remitted sins in his character of 
 Christ's ambassador, to an extent that he can reach on 
 no other occasion whatever. In fact, the words Baptism 
 and Absolution as cause and effect were originally used 
 indiscriminately to signify the act of Baptism. In one 
 of the Canons of the Council of Rome, it is said that 
 ^^ at the Easter Festival, remission of sins (meaning Bap- 
 tism, as is evident from the context) may be administered 
 by either Presbyter or Deacon in the parish church, the 
 Bishop being present.^'' ^ 
 
 Again, Augustine thus speaks of Baptism: — '"''Bap- 
 tisma quod est Sacramentum remissionis peccatorum.^^2 
 
 It is perfectly evident from the very essence of Bap- 
 tism, that it must be so, and we detract not only from 
 the completeness of the " one Baptism for the remission 
 of sins,'' but from the power of the keys itself, whether 
 we hesitate at the declaratory form of the A^isitation 
 
 1 Con. Eom. Canon vii., quoted by Cotellerius in his "Apostolical 
 Fathers." 
 
 2 De Baptismate, Book v. Cli. 21. 
 
162 THE ANCIENT FORM. 
 
 Service^ or whether we consider the precatory form of 
 the Communion Service as an inferior or less perfect 
 absolution. 
 
 No one, I suppose, doubts that the power of the keys 
 was both completely understood, and fully acted upon 
 in the Primitive Church. Yet we have no instance of a 
 declaratory form of Absolution before the twelfth cen- 
 tury. The very title which the Absolution bears in the 
 Liturgy of S. James is eu;)^^ tov iKua-fxou — the Prayer of 
 Propitiation — and its wording is quite in accordance 
 with its title : — '' And whereinsoever Thy servants have 
 erred from Thy Commandments, in word or deed, as men 
 carrying flesh about them, and living in the world, or 
 seduced by the instigations of Satan, or whatever curse 
 or particular anathema they are fallen under, I pray and 
 beseech Thine ineffable goodness, to absolve them with 
 Thy Word, and to remit their curse and anathema ac- 
 cording to Thy mercy. O Lord and Master, hear my 
 prayers for Thy servants, .... for Thou art He that 
 hath commanded us, saying. Whatsoever ye shall bind 
 on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye 
 shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven,^^ &c. 
 
 Precisely similar in its character is the form of Abso- 
 lution published by lUyricus and Cardinal Bona, from 
 an old Latin Missal. ^^ Qui mulieri peccatrici omnia 
 peccata dimisit lachrymanti, et latroni ad unam confes- 
 sionem claustra aperuit paradisi, ipse suse redemptionis 
 vos participes ab omni vinculo peccatorum ahsolvat et 
 membra aliquatenus debilitata medicin^ misericordise 
 sanata corpori sanctse Ecclesise redeunti gratia restituat, 
 at que in perpetuum solidata custodiatJ' 
 
 For assigning the date of from 1200 to 1230 to the 
 introduction of the declaratory form of Absolution, we 
 have the testimony of S. Thomas Aquinas, who is writ- 
 ing in defence of it. He says, that there was a learned 
 man in his time, who found fault with the indicative 
 form of Absolution then used by the Priest — '^ I absolve 
 thee from all thy sins'^ — and ^^ would have it to be de- 
 livered only by way of deprecation, alleging .... that 
 only thirty years were past since all did use this form 
 
BOTH RETAINED IN THE ENGLISH CHURCH. 163 
 
 only, ^ Absolutionem et remissionem tribuat tibi Om^ 
 nipotens Deus/ '''^ 
 
 Aquinas is perfectly right in bis defence, the doctrine 
 was not modem, tbongb tbe form of words migbt be so. 
 The Church which was warranted by Scripture in autho- 
 rising her Priests to say, " Child of wrath, I baptize 
 thee^-' — that is to say, I convey to thee a full and perfect 
 remission of all sins, was certainly warranted in autho- 
 rising those same priests to say. Child of grace, I absolve 
 thee, or convey to thee a conditional remission of re- 
 pented sins, upon the principle of omne majusin se con- 
 tinet minus; even if the Priest was. not warranted in so 
 doing, without any such express sanction, by the mere 
 tenour of his commission, and the analogy of the two 
 cases. And, the identity of the doctrine being shown, 
 the Church of any particular country has a perfect right 
 to clothe it in any form of words which she may con- 
 sider most fitting or most beneficial to her own children. 
 
 But this admission of Aquinas proves thus much, that 
 the two forms are intended to convey, and do convey, 
 precisely the same meaning; because if they did not, 
 then the more modern expression would imply a doc- 
 trine which the Church had not recognised up to the 
 time of its being adopted, and that, on the well known 
 principle of S. Vincent of Lerins, would alone be suffi- 
 cient to condemn it ; but this argument, which would 
 have fallen with crushing force in the thirteenth cen- 
 tury, and which could not have escaped his opponents 
 had there been the smallest ground for it, is not so much 
 as hinted at. It is the new practice, not the new doc- 
 trine that is spoken of. 
 
 It foUows, therefore, that if the Church of England, 
 acquiescing in this theory, has retained both these forms 
 in her services ; if the comparatively modern form '' ego 
 te absolvo^^ of the Visitation Office, conveys precisely 
 the same doctrine as the more ancient expression, Ab- 
 solvat te Omnipotens Deus, used in the Communion ; 
 then she considers that occasions may happen in which 
 
 * Aquin. Opusc. xxii. chap. 5. Usslier's "Answer to the Jesuit." 
 Bingham, Antiq. 
 
164 VALIDITY OF SCHISMATICAL BAPTISM. 
 
 one or other of them will best convey the heavenly mes- 
 sage to the soul of the sinner. In all cases^ therefore^ 
 not absolutely specified in the Prayer Book^ the English 
 Priest is^ and mnst be_, perfectly at liberty to use which- 
 ever of the two modes of expression thus sanctioned by 
 his Church he considers best adapted to the particular 
 case before him. They both mean the same things but 
 they have been modified by the Churchy for the purpose 
 of adapting that meaning to difierent comprehensions. 
 But on this very same consideration he is also bound to 
 weigh and consider the requirements of each particular 
 case^ and the character of each particular individual^ 
 not entirely by his own judgment^ but with reference to 
 the general intention of his Church ; and to clothe the 
 message of forgiveness in that particular form of words, 
 which, according to his judgment, would be most in ac- 
 cordance, not with his own private ideas, but with the 
 teaching of his Chm-ch in that particular case. 
 
 Note. — It has been objected that this principle of 
 "omne majns in se continet minus" applied to Baptism 
 and Absolution, would give a sanction to Lay Absolu- 
 tion, (which, in the case of the English Chui'ch, would 
 be Schismatical Absolution,) from the fact that the 
 Church does, on certain occasions, admit the validity of 
 Lay Baptism. 
 
 Whether, in committing to her laity, under any con- 
 sideration whatever, that which was committed to her 
 priests alone by Christ, she has, or has not, the war- 
 rant of Scripture, is a point on which I do not feel my- 
 self competent to enter. I am content to take the deci- 
 sion of the Church as I find it, and to accept the validity 
 of lay Baptism on the authority of the Church, though 
 I can myself discover no authority for it in the Bible. 
 
 Whether the sanction she has given to laymen, in 
 the subject of Baptism, in order to meet cases of emer- 
 gency and imminent danger, can properly be applied to 
 cases of heretical or schismatical Baptism, where no 
 such imminent danger or emergency of any kind exists ; 
 that is to say, whether the grace of God is to be ob- 
 tained by a quibble, is a point on which it is not neces- 
 
VALIDITY OF SCHISMATICAL BAPTISM. 165 
 
 sary for me now to speak, as it does not come within 
 my subject. 
 
 But admitting all tliis_, — admitting tliat tlie non-pro- 
 hibition of Scripture, the very doubtful custom of the 
 Churchy and the possible emergency of the case, gives a 
 sort of sanction to schism atical Baptism ; this is no ar- 
 gument whatever in a different case^ even though that 
 case be one of less absolute importance_, because in this 
 case neither the warrant of Scripture, nor the custom 
 of the Church, nor the emergency of the case can be 
 pleaded^ in order to justify the irregularity. 
 
THE PARSON^S NOTE-BOOK. 
 
 Most Parsons keep — all ought to keep — a note-book 
 of their catechumens ; for as these come^ and mnst come 
 to him at iiTegular times^ it is absolutely impossible for 
 him to call to mind at once the subject of his last con- 
 versation_, or even the necessary particulars of their re- 
 spective situations, capacities, advantages, and peculiar 
 temptations, unless he has some written memoranda to 
 refer to. 
 
 He ought, therefore, to keep a book in some place 
 easy of access in his study, in which the names of the 
 catechumens are arranged alphabetically, allowing a 
 page for each, and putting the name written plainly on 
 the top of each page. A common copy-book will answer 
 the purpose. 
 
 Under this he will write a short account of the cate- 
 chumen in question. Where he resides — what is his 
 present employment — what class he belonged to at 
 school — supposing him to be a parishioner ; if not, as is 
 generally the case with servants, where he has been 
 educated — (and very frequently the entry here will be 
 " nowhere, he is unable to read and write.") Whether 
 they are or are not perfect in their Catechism — who and 
 what are their fathers or their masters — whether they 
 have sponsors alive who will undertake to teach them — 
 and at what days and hours their respective employ- 
 ments will permit them to attend at the vicarage^ the 
 school-room, or the Church. 
 
 A single glance at this, whenever the indi^ddual is 
 announced, shows at once how to adapt the teaching or 
 conversation to the catechumen as an individual, and 
 
THE parson's note-book. 167 
 
 prevents tlie Parson from falling into those generalities,, 
 which, however useful in a lecture, are unsuitable for a 
 private conference. 
 
 The date of each visit must he noted down, and the 
 subject of conversation. I say subject rather than svb- 
 jects, for the Parson will always do well to confine him- 
 self to one subject at a time. Without some such note, 
 the Parson would be altogether unable to take up the 
 thread of his conversation at the next visit of his cate- 
 chumen, as in all probability he will, before that hap- 
 pens, have seen thirty or forty others, and conversed 
 with them on subjects totally difi'erent. 
 
 After two or three conversations, the catechumen may 
 be classed with five or six others of nearly equal abilities 
 and similar habits ; he may then be committed to the 
 care of one of the catechists, a note of it being made in 
 the Parson's book. This will not stop his visits to the 
 parsonage, because the office of the catechist is simply 
 instruction. As soon as the class is formed, the most 
 intelligent of each party should be selected as a sort of 
 choregus, to perform the mechanical part of the busi- 
 ness, such as assembling the class, ascertaining about 
 absentees, communicating between the Parson and the 
 catechist, giving out the examination papers, and col- 
 lecting the answers. Some such arrangement as this 
 will be found to diminish very materially the labour 
 both of the Parson and of the Curate. The catechist 
 should, of course, be furnished with such extracts from 
 the Parson's book, as he may think advisable to com- 
 municate to him, but he must also keep a small note- 
 book of his own. 
 
 A few extracts from an actual note-book would make 
 this much more clear than any amount of description ; 
 but it is very difficult to select cases which may, with- 
 out impropriety, be made public, because in every case 
 a good deal of the conversation will turn naturally on 
 the past sins of the individual in question, and the temp- 
 tations incident to his particular situation in life : that 
 is to say, will partake of the nature of the confessional, 
 and must be held as sacred. 
 
168 THE PARSON^S NOTE-BOOK. 
 
 Gn looking over my own note-book^ for tlie purpose 
 of selecting examples^ it seems to me that all those ex- 
 tracts which would be most useful for my purpose, would 
 describe the individual, in question so clearly, that any 
 of the parishioners meeting with the book, would easily 
 detect the real persons through any disguise of initial 
 or pseudonym that I might make use of 
 
 It must be understood, therefore, that the follovsdng 
 extracts are real bona fide extracts, but that they are 
 not the most characteristic, nor the best that could be 
 selected for purposes of illustration : — 
 
 E. R. (Female.) 
 
 Formerly monitor of second class, national school — 
 Knows and understands the Catechism perfectly — No 
 father — Mother church-going, but not a Communicant 
 — No sponsors — Lives at home, and does shirt working 
 — Can come at any time. 
 
 March 7. Conversed on the connection of Confir- 
 mation and the Lord^s Supper — E. anxious to re- 
 ceive the latter — Mother unwilling to permit her. 
 March 8. E. and Mother — Addressed the latter on 
 the precarious state of her own health — Commu- 
 nion, a type of, and preparation for. Judgment and 
 a blessed Resurrection. — (Successful.) 
 March 10. E. and Mother. Peculiar temptations of 
 her situation — Divine grace — How to be obtained 
 —Admitted— Classed with A. B., C. D., E. F., and 
 G. H. — E. R. undertakes to be the catechist of this 
 class. 
 
 F. C. (Male.) 
 
 Stranger — Very ignorant, but willing — Comes with 
 his master, who is also his godfather, but who is nearly 
 as ignorant as himself. 
 
 April 11. The meaning of taking our vows upon our- 
 selves. 
 April 14. The necessity of the Creed, to those who 
 cannot read the Bible especially. (Mem. to ask 
 A. Z. to teach them the Creed.) 
 
THE PARSON^S NOTE-BOOK. 169 
 
 April 17. Prayer — Can say the Lord^s Prayer — Ex- 
 plained it. 
 r.C. never could learn the Commandments^but seemed 
 to have a good idea of duty. — (Ultimately admitted.) 
 
 E. T. 
 
 Well informed — Formerly monitor of the first class — 
 On the point of going to service for the first time. — 
 (N.B. The family where she is going very indiff'erent 
 Church goers.) 
 
 April 11. The trials which await a person determined 
 to carry out God^s requirements in a family where 
 they are not much observed — Peculiar dangers of 
 spiritual pride under such circumstances — The duty 
 more pressing on those who are better informed — 
 Strength to do so to be sought from God — Strength 
 from Confirmation — Nourishment fromCommunion 
 — Admitted — Requested to take charge of a class. 
 
 A. E. (Male.) 
 
 Formerly first class^ National School — Catechism 
 nearly forgotten, also much of his reading — Father 
 labourer. Church goer — Infrequent Communicant — Fa- 
 ther and son work for Mr. X. — Godmother regular Com- 
 municant, but very ignorant — Comes any evening after 
 work hours. 
 
 March 9. Baptismal vow. 
 
 March 18. What we are to believe. 
 
 March 21. Duties of Christ^s soldiers — and servants. 
 
 March 23. Last Day — Judgment — Communion of 
 Saints — Sacrament of Communion — Example of 
 his godmother. 
 
 Admitted — Classed with C. D., and E. F., and under 
 A. B. catechist — Spoke to godmother, who is aunt to 
 A. F.3 about the duty of bringing him to the Lord^s 
 Supper. 
 
 L. M. (Female.) 
 
 Stranger — No relations near, nor sponsors — Lives as 
 servant to Mrs. Z., who is very careful and attentive to 
 her — Intelligent and religious^ — Catechism imperfect. 
 
170 THE PARSON^S NOTE-BOOK. 
 
 March 3. At her last place the people were Dissenters, 
 
 and, though she had been educated at National 
 
 School, she had adopted their notions, bnt wants to 
 be confirmed, because it is right. 
 
 Dangers of schism — Impossibility of belonging 
 to two communions — Marked for her 1 S. John 
 xvii., 1 Cor. i. and iii. 
 March 10. Dangers of hearing at the same time dif- 
 ferent interpretations of the same Scriptures — i. e., 
 of attending Church and meeting-house too. 
 March 11. Subject resumed — L. M. will not consent 
 
 to leave the meeting-house. 
 March 12. Conversation with Mrs. Z. — Advised her 
 to permit her servant to go to meeting-house, and 
 by no means to urge her to come to Church. 
 Rejected — (schism) — after a reference to the chapters 
 before mentioned ; also to Tit. iii. 10, explaining that 
 heresy in the Bible signifies " choice.^^ Acts xxvi. 5 ; 
 1 Cor. xi. 19. 
 
 M. H. (Female.) 
 
 Well brought up in all respects — Ueligious family — 
 Well taught in Catechism — 1st class, N. S. — Very timid. 
 
 March 10. Meaning of the word " worthy .^^ 1 Cor. xi. 
 
 March 11. The right we have to expect God^s forgive- 
 ness on our repentance — Meaning of the words 
 '^^ right" and ^^ repentance." 
 
 Admitted — placed in G. H.^s class. [Mem. — Special 
 instructions to G. H. that encouragement is necessary. 
 Her mother engages to bring her to Confirmation, and 
 to the Communion afterwards.] 
 
 J. B. (Female.) 
 
 Catechism imperfect — Removed early from the Na- 
 tional School — Family remarkable for industry — J. B. 
 herself very attentive to her younger brothers and sis- 
 ters generally, and particularly when there was an in- 
 fectious sickness in the family — Strangely indifferent 
 on religious subjects, but has shown herself capable of 
 great self-denial. 
 
THE parson's note-book. 171 
 
 March 6. Her own ill liealtli — Uncertainty of life — 
 A sister she had lost — Communion of Saints. 
 
 March 8. Necessity of prayer — Of set times for it — 
 Of public prayer — Of special prayer. 
 
 March 11. Martha and Mary — Martha not refused — 
 Permission given us to serve Christ by our works 
 towards our fellow creatures — Difference between 
 serving our fellow creatures and serving Christ 
 through our fellow creatures. 
 
 Gave her two very ignorant girls to teach, and ad- 
 mitted her on condition that she taught them diligently. 
 
 These extracts might be multiplied to any extent_, but 
 what I have given are quite sufficient to show the prin- 
 ciple upon which the Parson's notes must be made. No 
 two catechumens' minds^ situations, temptations, or 
 advantages are alike ; every one, therefore, is a separate 
 study, and must be treated differently. Of course, this 
 is not an easy part of a Parson's duty, — indeed, it is one 
 which no one can perform in a manner altogether satis- 
 factory to himself; but the better acquainted he is with 
 his people, the better he will be able to perform it. 
 
 One very great use in the periodical examinations 
 which take place preparatory to Confirmation is the 
 greater insight which it gives the Parson into the state 
 of his parish ; many persons are benefited by it besides 
 the catechumens, and he who is benefited most is the 
 Parson himself. 
 
 1 2 
 
CONVERSATIONS. 
 
 I. 
 
 THE MEANING OF CONFIRMATION. 
 
 " Well^ George/^ said the Parson, '' what do you 
 want with me to-night?" 
 
 ^^I hear that the Bishop is coming, sir," said George, 
 '^ and I want to be confirmed. I think I am old enough 
 now to take my godfather^s and godmother's promises 
 on my own shoulders ; do you not think I am, sir ?" 
 
 George was a carpenter's apprentice in the town, and 
 a very good specimen of the apprentice class, he was 
 steady at Church, fond of reading, and, having been 
 employed in the choir before his voice had broken, he 
 had picked up during the Sunday catechisings a little 
 more religious knowledge than usually falls to his class, 
 though not perhaps knowledge of the most accurate 
 description, as indeed the Parson judged by his answer ; 
 for the time, however, he let it pass. 
 
 « Very good," said he, '^ but tell me what you want 
 to be confirmed for ?" 
 
 This was not exactly the question which George had 
 expected, and he looked considerably puzzled. " Yes," 
 said the Parson, " you know that this will give you a 
 good deal of trouble ; you are at work all day, and if 
 you want a ticket for Confirmation, you will have to 
 give up your evening cricket, and come here and learn 
 and answer questions ; you have got a good deal to do. 
 
WHAT IS A COVENANT? 173 
 
 and some little self-denial to exercise, for you are fond 
 of cricket, and, to tell you the truth, I am glad to see 
 that you are so ; now no one makes up his mind to give 
 up what he likes, without expecting to get some good 
 by it. What good do you expect yourself from Confir- 
 mation ?" 
 
 '^ I do not know much good," said George, " but it is 
 my duty to confirm the promises made for me at my 
 Baptism, and I donH mind a little trouble to do my 
 duty." 
 
 " Well said, my boy : a right good English answer. 
 It is my belief that the reason why the English race is 
 spreading over the whole world, and prospering wherever 
 it spreads, is contained in that one answer, we do not 
 mind a little trouble so long as we do our duty; keep 
 that before you through life, and I shall see you a 
 master man some of these days, and a good man too. 
 But what do you mean by confirming the promises made 
 at your Baptism ?" 
 
 "Why," said George, rubbing up his Catechism, 
 " ' my godfathers and godmothers, at my Baptism, did 
 promise and vow three things in my name ; first, that 
 I should renounce the devil and all his works, the 
 pomps and vanity of this wicked world, and all the sin- 
 ful lusts of the flesh ; secondly, that I should believe all 
 the Articles of the Christian Faith ; and, thirdly, that 
 I should keep Gon^s holy will and Commandments, and 
 walk in the same all the days of my life.^ Now I think 
 that they said just what I ought to do, and so, now that 
 I am able to judge for myself, I want to go to the Bishop 
 and confirm the covenant they made for me when I was 
 too young to make it for myself." 
 
 a Very good, George, and a very proper thing to do. 
 You know of course what is meant by a covenant?" 
 
 ^' Yes," said George, '^ an agreement between two 
 parties. I remember your telling me that, and saying 
 it was just like what father made for me with master 
 when he apprenticed me. Master was one party, and I 
 was the other." 
 
 ^^And you think that this agreement which your 
 
174 CHRISTIANS CONFIRM THEIR COVENANTS 
 
 sponsors made for you, when God was one party, and 
 yon the other, the very best they conld have made ?" 
 
 ^'^Yes,^^ said George, "and that is why I want to 
 confirm it/'' 
 
 "But, George,^^ said the Parson, "have you never 
 confirmed it before ?" 
 
 "No,"'^ said George, "I could not, I was not old 
 enough when the Bishop was here last. I went to see 
 the Confirmation though, and thought I should like to 
 be confirmed too/' 
 
 " You have just repeated the promises made for you ; 
 can you give me the meaning of them in three words V^ 
 " Repentance, faith, and obedience," said George, who 
 had been thinking over the Parson's Sunday explana- 
 tions before he came. 
 
 " Yery true,'' said the Parson ; " very well remem- 
 bered ; have you never said the Confession at Church ? 
 I need not ask you though, for I remember when you 
 were in the choir how distinctly you used to say it ; but 
 did you not think of its meaning when you said it ? did 
 you not think of your own particular sins when you 
 used those words ?" 
 
 " I hope I did," said George, " and that I do every 
 time I say my prayers." 
 
 ^^ I hope so too," said the Parson ; " but it seems to 
 me that whenever you do so, you confirm one of the 
 promises made for you at your baptism, — Bepentance. 
 — I think too, you repent for yourself, it is not your 
 godfathers and godmothers who are repenting for you 
 when you make the confession." 
 
 This seemed a new ^dew of the case to George. — 
 "And," continued the Parson, "when you say the 
 Creed, which you do, I believe, every day, do you not 
 confirm the promise which your godfathers and god- 
 mothers made about your faith ? and when you make 
 the responses to the Commandments on Sunday, do 
 you not confirm the promises they made for you about 
 obedience ? The fact is, as soon as ever you begin to 
 know the diff'erence between right and wrong, and that 
 I think children begin to do at two or three years of 
 
EVERY DAY OF THEIR LIVES. 175 
 
 age, tlien you begin to ^ renew the solemn promise and 
 vow that was made in your name at your baptism, rati- 
 fying and confirming the same in your own person, and 
 acknowledging yourself bound to believe and to do all 
 those things which your godfathers and godmothers 
 then undertook for you/ '' 
 
 George looked down for some time without speaking, 
 trying to realise this new idea of Confirmation. 
 
 " Dost thou not think that thou art bound to believe 
 and to do as they have promised for thee ?" said the 
 Parson, in the words of the Catechism. 
 
 George answered mechanically — '^ Yes, verily, and by 
 GoD^s help, so I will/^ 
 
 ''^Why," said the Parson, ^^ you have just confirmed 
 the promises again, and you confirmed them every time 
 you repeated these words in the Catechism; in fact, you 
 can perform no one single act of religion without con- 
 firming them ; as soon as you are old enough to perform 
 an act of religion, you are old enough to confirm your 
 promises." 
 
 '^ But does not the Bishop ask me that same question 
 when I go to Confirmation ? I have read it in the 
 service." 
 
 ^' Of course he does ; have I not just told you that you 
 can perform no act of religion without it ? God is now 
 going to entrust to you another great and precious talent ; 
 do you not think it a natural question before He gives it 
 you, that He should ask you by the mouth of His servant 
 the Bishop, what you have done with the last talent He 
 gave you ? That is not Confirmation, it is only seeing 
 whether you are worthy to receive Confirmation, which 
 He is going to give you. Besides, you told me you 
 wished to be confirmed. Is that word active or passive ?" 
 
 ''' Passive," said George. 
 
 ^^ That is to say, to be confirmed is something that is 
 done to you, not something that you do. Do you not 
 suppose that if Confirmation meant what you imagine, 
 it would be said that you were going to confirm, not 
 going to he confirmed ?" 
 
 '^ Then what is Confirmation ?" said George. 
 
176 FREE GRACE. 
 
 '' What is firm T^ said the Parson. 
 
 " Strong, I suppose.^' 
 
 ff Very true ; then to confirm is to strengthen ; to be 
 confirmed is to be strengthened ; and Confirmation is 
 strengthening. Now tell me who is it that strengthens 
 thesonl?'' 
 
 ^' God/^ said George, reverently. 
 
 " Yes, God, the Holy Ghost, confirms the soul send- 
 ing His grace by the hand of His messenger the Bishop, 
 just as God the Son forgives, sending His absolution 
 by the hands of His messenger the Priest. You were 
 quite right in what you said just now, about your duty, 
 speaking generally, and I praised you for it ; but you 
 do not go to Confirmation to perform a duty of any 
 kind, you go to receive a blessing; the blessing will 
 impose a duty upon you : you must now do something 
 more for God than you did before, because He has now 
 given you more strength to serve Him ; but every 
 blessing of every kind that we have from God is gra- 
 tuitous ; do you understand that word ?" 
 
 " Not exactly,^ ^ said George. 
 
 *^ Free grace, which is a common expression enough, 
 but not an expression commonly understood, means 
 that we receive the blessing without having done any- 
 thing of ourselves to deserve it, and that is the case 
 with every blessing. 
 
 *^ Now, if God gave us the strength of Confirmation, 
 because we had kept the promises made at our baptism, 
 then Confirmation would be no free grace, because it 
 would be a payment for work done, greater, no doubt, 
 than the work deserved, but still a payment. God 
 gave us one blessing at our baptism freely, that is to 
 say for nothing, or rather for Jesus Christ^s sake ; He 
 washed away our sins, and gave us innocence when we 
 had done nothing to deserve it ; that blessing imposed 
 a duty upon us, and every time we confirmed our pro- 
 mises, either by word or deed, we performed that duty. 
 
 ^' Now God sees that we want an additional blessing, 
 strength; we have not earned that blessing, we have 
 done nothing to deserve it ; at the very most we have 
 
THE AUTHORITY OF THE PRAYER BOOK. 177 
 
 only done tlie duty imposed upon us by our last bless- 
 ings and very few can say they have done that. But 
 God sees that our temptations are now stronger^ and_, 
 for Christ^s sake^ He gives us wbat He sees we want^ 
 to enable us to resist tbem. No doubt this is another 
 talent^ and He will say^ ^ occupy till I come/ or ^ let Me 
 have My own with increase/ You must be a better 
 man for what you receive,, but do not take God's work 
 for your work^ and think you are going to confirm; 
 when^ in truths you are going to be confi.rmed." 
 
 II. 
 
 THE USE OF CONFIRMATION. 
 
 ^^WelLj Harry^ so you want to be confirmed/^ said 
 the Parson^ '^ what made you think of coming V 
 
 ^^Why the Prayer Book says that when we can say 
 the Catechism^ we should be brought to the Bishop to 
 be confirmed; and when I heard that the Bishop was 
 coming here this springs I thought I would do what the 
 Prayer Book tells me^ and I can say my Catechism all 
 through; and I think I understand it." 
 
 " I think you dO; Harry/' .said the ParsoU; " I have 
 been much pleased with your answers lately^ they show 
 thought and earnestness; and I must say your reason is 
 a very good one. The Prayer Book shows what the 
 mind of the Church is ; it shows what her wisest di- 
 rectors have thought good for her peoplC; century after 
 century. These things have been well considered over 
 and over agaiu; and by practical men toO; who tried 
 themselves what they wrote for the direction of others. 
 Ignorant as we may bC; we are safe enough in following 
 them; but though ignorance may be safe enough in fol- 
 lowing the guidance of these holy men, if God has given 
 
 I 3 
 
178 GOD FITS HIS GRACE 
 
 US understanding and means of learning, it is better that 
 we should try and make ourselves acquainted with the 
 principles on which these holy men acted. A blind man 
 may thank God that he has got a safe guide to lead him 
 on the path to heaven, but he would follow that very 
 guide better and with firmer steps, if he had the use of 
 his own eyes as well. 
 
 '^ Let us see the principle of God^s dealings with us. 
 The Bible tells us to work out our own salvation ; are 
 we able to do so V 
 
 " I suppose/^ said Harry, " the Bible would hardly 
 tell us to do that which we are unable to do ?" 
 
 (( Very true,^^ said the Parson, '^ there is no reason 
 why we should not do what S. Paul did; and he, you 
 know, could do all things." Here the Parson paused, 
 and looked at Harry, who, without hesitation, continued 
 the text — " Through Christ which strengthened him." 
 
 '' Exactly," said the Parson, " and that is the key to 
 the whole doctrine of the Gospel; that man can do 
 nothing by himself, but can do anything and everything 
 because he is made one with Christ, just as your hands 
 could not move a finger if they were cut off from the 
 body, but are quite able to earn you a very respectable 
 livelihood through the strength they get from your body. 
 
 " That is the first principle, and the second is, that 
 God gives us, day by day, our daily bread; that is to 
 say, as much as we want every day, but nothing to waste, 
 nothing which we do not want, we have enough of God^s 
 grace to do the work that He puts us to, if He adds to 
 our work He adds to His grace, if He takes away this 
 work. He does not continue to give grace that would 
 now be of no use. We have received the Holy Ghost 
 as well as the early Christians. You cannot do all that 
 He enabled them to do." 
 
 *' No," said Harry, '^ I cannot speak with tongues." 
 
 " Have you any idea why ?" said the Parson. 
 
 " Because I have to show forth the power of His king- 
 dom to Englishmen only, and other tongues would be of 
 no use to me in furthering that work." 
 
 (( Very true, and suppose it came within the plan of 
 
TO THE WORK HE GIVES US. 179 
 
 GoD^s Providence, that there should be a sudden exten- 
 sion of His kingdom, do you not suppose that the Holy 
 Ghost, Who has already made your body His temple, 
 would be able to fit you for the work ?" 
 
 ^^1 suppose so,^^ said Harry. 
 
 '' Of course He could,^^ said the Parson. " Which is 
 the greater gift, the power of resisting the devil, or the 
 power of speaking foreign languages ?'' 
 
 Harry caught the idea. ^^ To be sure," said he, " He 
 who gave me the greater would certainly give me the 
 less if it were necessary." 
 
 ^' Then the idea I want you to fix in your mind, is 
 that God gives us always just what we want in all stages 
 of our life, and whenever He sets us at a new work, He 
 gives us new tools to work with. It is just the same 
 with everything else, we need not confine it to His spi- 
 ritual gifts. When do children first have teeth ?" 
 
 '^ When their food first wants biting," said Harry. 
 
 ^''That is, in fact, S. Paul's own illustration. Why 
 did he say he had fed the Corinthians with milk, and 
 not meat ?" 
 
 ^'^ Because they had not been able to bear it," said 
 Harry. 
 
 " Precisely so," said the Parson. ^^ You would see it 
 at once if we were speaking of ordinary work and com- 
 mon life. In this world a man is fitted and strength- 
 ened to do his own particular work, and consequently 
 each man works best at his own trade. You are not so 
 strong in the arms as the blacksmith." 
 
 " No," said Harry, " to be sure I am not. I was 
 once though, but his arm is got so strong now by use." 
 
 "Do not accustom yourself to speak of things so 
 thoughtlessly. Nothing gets stronger by use; that 
 chair that you are sitting on has had use enough in its 
 time, but I do not see that it has grown stronger by 
 it. That man^s calling, the state of life in which God 
 placed him required greater strength in his arms than 
 would be sufficient for you or for other men : he had 
 not that strength naturally, but he showed himself in 
 earnest in his work by doing his best, with the strength 
 
180 THE SAME IDEA 
 
 whicli God had given him already^ and then God 
 strengthened his mnscles to enable him to do more. 
 Man can only mend what man has made. You can 
 strengthen the leg of that table,, bnt cannot strengthen 
 your own leg. 
 
 " This is my second principle^ and now we will state 
 the two together. 
 
 " They are simply^ 
 
 ^''1. That God gives us whatever is necessary for per- 
 forming the duties He sets before us. 
 
 " 2. That He does not give us any thing till the time 
 comes when we want it. 
 
 *^^And now to apply these principles to the work 
 before us. 
 
 ^^How many Sacraments does the Catechism say are 
 necessary to the salvation of Christ^s Church ?" 
 
 '^'^Two/^ said Harry. "Baptism and the Supper of 
 the LoRD.''^ 
 
 "What do you mean by necessary to Salvation?^' 
 
 " That without which men cannot be saved.^^ 
 
 "Say Churchmen/^ said the Parson^ "you know no- 
 thing about GoD^s dealings vrith those who do not be- 
 long to the Church : He may have many means of saving 
 men that we know nothing of. We are talking now 
 about His covenanted methods^ and these covenants are 
 made with His Churchy and with none else. 
 
 "You say rights however, there are two Sacraments 
 necessary to every churchman^s salvation^ for this is the 
 real meaning of the expression ^ generally necessary / 
 how is it that hitherto you have received only one of 
 them?^^ 
 
 " I suppose the Church thought that hitherto I wanted 
 only one of them/^ said Harry. 
 
 " Yes/' said the Parson^ " every one born into the 
 world, is born a child of Adam, and in Adam's nature ; 
 nothing tending towards salvation can be done for man 
 while in that state, for we can do nothing of ourselves to 
 help ourselves ; it is a state of wrath and condemnation^ 
 and therefore the Sacrament which takes us out of that 
 state, is necessary for us from the very first. We must 
 
APPLIED TO THE SACRAMENTS. 181 
 
 he justified J that is to say^ regarded in the liglit of just 
 persons by Got), before He will give ns any spiritual 
 help whatever; we are justified^ therefore^ for Christ^s 
 sake^ in the Sacrament which He has appointed for that 
 purpose. 
 
 " We are no doubt exposed to temptations during our 
 childhood, and weak as these may be in comparison with 
 those which will beset us when we come to maturity, 
 neither in childhood nor in manhood are we able of our- 
 selves to help ourselves. But G-on has not left us with- 
 out help^ He has given us parents, who are to the child 
 what God Himself is to the man — the guide, the in- 
 structor, the reprover, the help in need ; these are suf- 
 ficient for the ordinary trials that beset the age of 
 childhood. The strengthening and refreshing of the 
 soul by the Body and Blood of Christ, is not yet re- 
 quired. But when we leave our homes, when we start 
 on our separate courses through life, when the autho- 
 rity of the parent becomes weakened, while the tempta- 
 tions of advanced life become stronger, then it is that 
 we require additional strength from God, to enable us 
 to resist them, and additional nourishment from God_, 
 to enable us to use that strength with effect. The first 
 of these we receive in Confirmation, the second in the 
 Holy Communion." 
 
 III. 
 DANGERS OF HABITUAL CONFESSION. 
 
 The Parson put down the paper musingly, and conti- 
 nued for some time in thought. 
 
 '' I must admit," said he, " that this appears to be a 
 very fair transcript of your deeds and motives ; it is evi- 
 dently honest ; it bears internal evidence of its honesty 
 upon the face of it." 
 
183 PENANCES. 
 
 " It is^ I assure you/' said H. " There is no sin that 
 I can remember^ either by thonght_, word^ or deed, which 
 is not recorded in that paper. I have kept it written up, 
 day after day, and week after week, since I showed you 
 my last.'' 
 
 *^' And there is no sin so chronicled of which you do 
 not repent heartily ?" said the Parson, interrogatively. 
 
 ^^ Heartily," said H. "You can impose no penance 
 upon me that I will not willingly undergo, in order to 
 prove my sorrow and to earn God's forgiveness." 
 
 "God's forgiveness is a free gift," said the Parson, 
 gravely; " it is not to be earned. No doubt it will not 
 be given at all except to the penitent. To any but these 
 it would indeed be valueless, for it would be no guarantee 
 that you would not forfeit your salvation the very next 
 hour. But you do not earn it even by inward penitence, 
 stni less by outward self-punishment. That was the idea 
 of the Israelite who was ready to give the fruit of his 
 body for the sin of his soul. It is not earned by any 
 of these means; it was earned long ago by Christ, and 
 if you receive it at all, you will receive it gratuitously, 
 and for His sake alone." 
 
 "Yet the last time I showed you my conscience, and 
 expressed to you my sincere repentance of all I had told 
 you, and you, at my humble and hearty desire pro- 
 nounced God's forgiveness, you gave me certain pun- 
 ishments, which I was to inflict upon myself. I per- 
 formed every one of these tasks conscientiously. I 
 repeated the Penitential Psalms every day. I increased 
 the alms which I allot weekly." 
 
 " I did not consider these as punishments," said the 
 Parson, interrupting him ; " I advised them as remem- 
 brancers — to keep in your mind the fact, that you had 
 sinned, and to prevent you from falling into sin again ; 
 but I should never have imagined that alms, and prayers, 
 and thanksgivings, could be considered punishments. I 
 am sure I did not intend them as such." 
 
 "No, not punishments," said H.; "but evidences of 
 the sincerity of my repentance." 
 
 "That is the very thing that makes me reflect^" said 
 
HELP SOMETIMES AN INCUMBRAXCE. 183 
 
 the Parson. " Is your repentance sincere ? I have 
 prescribed these things to many^ and have often found 
 them efficacious ; and many minor things of the same 
 kind I have found efficacious also. I have often recom- 
 mended_, for instance_, to a hasty-tempered person^ to re- 
 peat the LoRD^s Prayer mentally before answering under 
 provocation^ and I have found a perceptible amendment 
 arising from such practices. But in your case^ — ^^ here 
 the Parson took up the paper that he had laid upon the 
 table and looked over it again — '''in your case it seems 
 to me that your present catalogue of sins is very like 
 your last. Now_, repentance means amendment — works 
 meet for repentance." 
 
 . H. looked down confused. "\ am sure/^ he said^ ''\ 
 did repentj and do repent." 
 
 The Parson held out the paper to him. " Do you 
 know/^ said he^ after some pause_, '' I wish you would 
 not come to me for Confession as regularly as you do. 
 You come to me before all the great Festivals, just 
 as often as they come round. You bring me the same 
 paper, and I fear that paper contains, time after time, 
 the very same sins, both of omission and commission." 
 
 " And yet you once taught me to come to you in my 
 spiritual troubles — do you cast me off now ?" 
 
 " I taught you to swim, too," said the Parson, ^^ and 
 I encouraged you to lean on the corks. Do you recol- 
 lect why I took them away from you ?" 
 
 " Yes," said H. ; " you said that they were useful while 
 I was learning how to strike out; but that I should 
 never learn to support myself while I depended entirely 
 on them." 
 
 " Precisely," said the Parson ; " and so I tell you now. 
 I encouraged you to come to me, because I wanted to 
 give you a habit of remembering your faults ; for that 
 is a thing that must be learnt — it does not come of 
 itself. I wanted to show you how to guard against 
 them — what preventives are best for any particular class 
 of them j but now that you have learnt these things, if 
 I were to give you my constant assistance and advice, 
 you would never be able to guide yourself. What would 
 
184 THE CHRISTIAN TAUGHT 
 
 you do if death took me away from you_, as it must some 
 day or other ? or what would you do if you were launched 
 on the world to fight your way through it^ as you will 
 have to do? You must swim some time or other with- 
 out your corksj whether you like it or not. I should be 
 doing but half my duty towards you if I did not teach 
 you to do so metaphorically, as I have done literally ; 
 and I do it by taking them away when you can do 
 without them. At this very moment my support is 
 doing you harm. You confess your sins; you receive 
 GoD^s forgiveness; and, practically, you consider your 
 score wiped ofi* and your judgment past ; and so you go 
 away without that watchfulness which prevents you from 
 falling again into the same sins, because you imagine — 
 not that you say so in so many words, even to yourself 
 — but you do imagine, and you do act upon the idea, 
 notwithstanding, that you have but to confess again, 
 and to be forgiven again. Is it not my forgiveness that 
 you seek, rather than Gon^s ? If you are kept from sin, 
 is it not by fear of offending me rather than of offending 
 Christ ? And if you fall into sin so easily (as from this 
 paper it is evident that you do) , is it not because you 
 are thinking of my forgiveness, and imagine that it is to 
 be obtained easily ? My duty is not to lead you to your 
 Saviour, but to show you how to seek your Saviour for 
 yourself.^^ 
 
 "But do you cast me off, then? Am I never to 
 come to you in the trials that beset me ? "What am I 
 todo?^^ 
 
 The Parson smiled as he opened a Prayer Book that 
 was lying on the table. " Do you pay so very little at- 
 tention to that which you hear so often read in Church ? 
 ^ If by this means he cannot quiet his own conscience, 
 iDut requireth further help or counsel, let him come to 
 me, or to some other discreet and learned minister of 
 GoD^s Word, and open his grief.^ Is that like casting 
 you off? Should I be even justified in so doing by the 
 very Prayer Book to which I have given my unfeigned 
 assent and consent ? Try yourself first in the way that 
 I have taught you to try yourself — by the rule of God^s 
 
TO USE HIS TALENT. 185 
 
 Commandments. These sins^ wMcli I see recurring far 
 too often on your confession paper, are the very sins 
 which you have in my presence already tried by that 
 rule. Try them for yourself now ; if you think a pe- 
 nance will preserve your watchfulness, set it for your- 
 self; do not come to me. But if any unusual trial or 
 temptation, or combination of circumstances occurs, 
 then come to me at once, as you are invited by the 
 Prayer Book, and we will apply the ministration of 
 GoD^s Word to your case. My time, my labour, my 
 knowledge, my best advice shall be yours. But do not 
 be coming to me periodically with matters that you can 
 judge for yourself Remember that when God gave you 
 a conscience, and enlightened that conscience by the 
 Holy Ghost, He placed self-responsibility on your 
 shoulders by the very act of giving you a judgment to 
 try yourself by, and you are burying that talent in the 
 earth ; that is to say, you are committing a positive sin 
 — a sin upon which the Bible affixes a penalty no less 
 than the absolute loss of that talent, when you place the 
 responsibility upon my shoulders instead of taking it 
 upon your own.^^ 
 
 H. looked but half satisfied; he could not deny the 
 truth of the Parson^s argument ; there could be no doubt 
 in the world that he did possess sC conscience, or that 
 the conscience of a baptized Christian must be a con- 
 science especially enlightened by the Holy Ghost, nor 
 could he assign any reason why God should have given 
 him a faculty, unless He intended him to use it himself. 
 Still, he could not but feel helpless and deserted. In 
 truth, the act of judging ourselves, and weighing the 
 motives and consequences of our actions, is a severe 
 mental labour which no one undertakes willingly. Nine 
 out of ten neglect it entirely, and act from impulse ; and 
 when the necessity of such judgment begins to be felt, 
 the first instinct of the conscientious man is to throw 
 himself upon the judgment of another. Hence the prac- 
 tice of Confession, which, permitted in Scripture, and 
 encouraged by the Church, has become, no doubt, part 
 of its discipline, but has grown into it less as a matter 
 
186 ' ABSOLUTION. 
 
 of actual precept than as a consequence of the natural 
 wants and instincts of mankind. 
 
 ^^But/^ said H._, somewhat shifting the subject^ '^'^ are 
 you not charged by Him Whose ambassador you are 
 with a message to me ? God has promised forgiveness 
 of sins to the penitent^ and has charged you to announce 
 it to them. I am penitent, why do you refuse it to me ?" 
 
 ^' If you are penitent, I do not refuse it.^^ 
 
 " Surely. You forbid me to come to you confessing 
 my sins ; how can you then pronounce my pardon ?" 
 
 '^ My young friend/^ said the Parson, '^ will you read 
 your Prayer Book? will you study its meaning? will 
 you appropriate to yourself that which is there set down 
 for your benefit ? When I say that ^ our Lord Jesus 
 Christ hath given power and commandment to His 
 ministers to declare and pronounce to His people, being 
 penitent, the absolution and remission of their sins,^ 
 when, having thus asserted my authority to pronounce 
 forgiveness, I declare, ' He pardoneth and absolveth all 
 them that truly repent and unfeignedly believe,^ do I 
 not then and there deliver to you, who declare yourself 
 penitent and believing, that message which you say with 
 great truth it is my duty to deliver to you, and your 
 right to demand at my hands ? But the truth is, what 
 you want is not the calm assurance of laying to your 
 own soul the gracious message of forgiveness sent by 
 God to you and many others by our hands, but the ex- 
 citement of the action, and that is the very thing which 
 the Church considers unwholesome, and wishes to dis- 
 courage as a general practice. It is a calm, equable 
 flow of piety that she would encourage, not a periodical re- 
 currence of great excitement and consequent prostration. 
 My authority is precisely the same, and so is my message, 
 whether I deliver it to you personally, or to you in common 
 with many others ; but the excitement is far greater when 
 you are addressed individually. No doubt I, who have 
 the authority to carry my Master^s message to many, 
 have, a fortiori, the authority to carry it to one; and 
 according to my discretion I do exercise that authority. 
 I have exercised it in your case before now, because in 
 
TEMPTATION. 187 
 
 the spiritual^ as well as in the physical, there are times 
 when excitement is beneficial,, and even necessary. 
 Special absolution is a strong spiritual cordial entrusted 
 to my stewardship ; but what wonld my Master say of 
 my discretion if I fed His people upon cordials as their 
 daily meat V 
 
 IV. 
 LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION. 
 
 John W. was Secretary to the Black Horse Benefit 
 Society. He was a young man of character rather 
 above the average — what is usually called a respectable 
 person — but without any definite ideas of religion. In 
 fact, he ought to have been confirmed three years ago ; 
 but as this would have been attended with some little 
 trouble, John neglected it, and considered himself none 
 the worse for it. He was, however, an honest, hard- 
 working young man, and had been entrusted with the 
 management of the Black Horse funds, in which situa- 
 tion he acquitted himself very creditably, but the neces- 
 sity of periodical attendance at night in the public house 
 had, it must be confessed, led him on one or two occa- 
 sions into drunkenness. It was true that no liquor was 
 allowed while the club business lasted ; but there were 
 generally a few unsteady members who, after it was 
 closed, thought it necessary to do something for the 
 ^^ good of the house ;" and poor John, whose steadiness 
 was more a matter of habit than of principle, had been 
 occasionally induced to join them. 
 
 Of late, however, he had become steadier, and on 
 hearing the Parson give notice of Confirmation, he came 
 to consult him about the matter. 
 
 The first thing the Parson mentioned was of course 
 the baptismal covenant and " the pomps and vanity of 
 
188 THERE IS NO PROMISE 
 
 this wicked world,, and the sinful lusts of the flesh/^ and 
 this led the way very naturally to poor John^s late exhi- 
 bition of himself at the public house. 
 
 The Parson^ who knew the young man^s character^ 
 was ready enough to admit his excuses^ but still urged 
 the absurdity as well as impiety of applying to God for 
 more grace^ when that which He had given already was 
 misused. 
 
 " The fact is^ John/^ said the Parson^ ^' if you expect 
 God to help you, you must not put yourself into the 
 way of temptation. That public house will be your 
 ruin, and will turn God^s grace to your destruction — 
 Confirmation grace as well as any other."'^ 
 
 '' Then you would advise me to go less frequently V 
 said John. 
 
 ^^I wish/^ said the Parson, ^^that you would have 
 strength of mind to give it up altogether. Resign the 
 secretaryship : it has already exposed you to temptations 
 which on two separate occasions you have been unable 
 to withstand. In two distinct instances you have been 
 led into sin ; and though I will not take upon myself to 
 say that it is sinful to be the secretary of a club that 
 meets in a public house, yet if to you it is the beginning 
 of sin, to you it is sinful, whatever it may be to others." 
 
 " But," said John, ^' these were only sins of infirmity. 
 I repented of them heartily in both cases, and do still. 
 If Confirmation means the imparting of Divine strength, 
 may I not expect now to be more able to resist tempta- 
 tion than I have been hitherto ?" 
 
 ^^ What ! if you seek it voluntarily ?" said the Parson. 
 " How can you pray to God consistently not to lead you 
 into temptation, if you lead yourself into it ? You must 
 not suppose that Divine grace is like an inanimate ar- 
 ticle which you purchase or have given to you, and which 
 you are the richer for, merely from the fact of your pos- 
 sessing it — and that, too, just as much whether you 
 choose to make use of it or not. Divine grace is an 
 animating principle, which if not used, is useless, and 
 if useless is lost. The Holy Ghost will give you judg- 
 ment not to put yourself into the way of temptation, and 
 
TO THOSE WHO TEMPT THEMSELVES. 189 
 
 will comfort you with a sense of God^s favour for the 
 supposed loss you may experience in abstaining from it ; 
 but if you go against His suggestions_, and run volun- 
 tarily into it yourself^ whether you do that from pre- 
 sumption or from wilfulness^ I do not see how you will 
 be in any way stronger because you have been Confirmed. 
 In putting yourself in a temptation which you have been 
 warned against^ you have misused the gift already ; and 
 that gift misused voluntarily,, iSj as you know very well^ 
 withdrawn/^ 
 
 John paused and considered — it was a great trial to 
 him^ he had not been much called upon to deny himself 
 — it was a new idea to him altogether to abstain from 
 that which is not sinful merely because it may possibly 
 become a means of sin. And^ willing to justify himself, 
 he saidj though with some little hesitation of manner^ 
 " But are we not led to expect that God with the temp- 
 tation will make a way to escape ? This is what I 
 looked to in Confirmation.^^ 
 
 " And you looked to no more than what Gon has pro- 
 mised/'' said the Parson : " to no more than what God 
 is able and willing to perform. You are quite right; 
 this is what God gives in Confirmation. As you grow 
 older^ you will find trials and temptations enough in this 
 life of trial and temptation^ without seeking them for 
 yourself. When God tries^ God will support. When 
 GoD^ for His own wise purposes^ permits the devil to 
 tempt us^ God will at the same time give us strength to 
 resist him ; but when we try ourselves we must be our 
 own defence^ and when we ourselves invite the devil^ we 
 must seek in our own strength the means of resisting 
 him. God will not suficr us to be tempted above that 
 we are able^ there is no doubt of that ; but then^ on the 
 other hand^ we must not tempt God." 
 
190 FITNESS FOR COMMUNION. 
 
 V. 
 THE LOED^S SUPPER. 
 
 '^ In this matter/^ said the Parson_, " I think you have 
 been rather weak than wicked. It is a sin of infirmity_, 
 and if your penitence be sincere, there is no reason why 
 it should keep you from Confirmation. On the con- 
 trary, I should say that Confirmation or strengthening 
 is the very thing you want. And if you make good use 
 of the strength so acquired, and renew and nourish it by 
 frequent Communion, I shall have great hopes of you.''^ 
 
 ^' The Communion V^ said E., " I had no idea of that. 
 I am not fit for the Holy Communion yet." 
 
 '' What do you mean by ' not fi.t V " said the Parson. 
 
 ^' I am not steady enough nor circumspect enough in 
 my conduct. If I were to receive the Communion and 
 to fall into sin afterwards, that surely would be a very 
 great increase to my wdckedness." 
 
 " Of course it would," said the Parson ; ^' it would be 
 sinning against grace. But why should you fall into 
 sins afterwards ? you do not wish to do so, I suppose ?" 
 
 '^ No, surely not ; but I am afraid of my own weak- 
 ness. I am not yet strong enough nor good enough." 
 
 '' Of your own weakness ? Yes," said the Parson. 
 ^' I hope you are. That is the very reason why I urge 
 the Communion. ^lake yourself one with Christ, 
 Whose Body and Blood you receive into you, and then 
 you need not talk about your own weakness. You can 
 do all things through Christ which strengtheneth you." 
 
 " But what I fear is, that I am not good enough to 
 receive Christ." 
 
 " What do you think of the conduct of the Gadarenes 
 and Gergesenes ?" said the Parson ; '^ who, when they 
 had ascertained beyond a doubt the power of Christ, 
 besought Him to depart from their coasts. It was very 
 well for Peter, in the days of his ignorance, to say, ^ De- 
 part from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord •/ but I 
 
STRENGTHEXING OrRSELVES. 191 
 
 should hardly expect such a speech from a baptized and 
 well-instructed Christian. You do not seem to under- 
 stand the Christian principle. ^They that are whole 
 need not the Physician^ but they that are sick.'' Christ 
 gives His gifts freely^ and He gives them to those who 
 want them^ that is to sinners. What He expects is, 
 that they will use them when they have them." 
 
 Still E. continued murmuring; somethinc^ about not 
 being good enough — for there is no idea more thoroughly 
 ingrained into all classes than that of the Communion 
 as a test of goodness^ rather than a means of grace. ISTor 
 is there any notion more difl6.cult to set right, because 
 there really is a great deal of truth in it. Sin unre- 
 pented and unforgiven does turn the spiritual food into 
 a deadly destruction, and it is extremely difficult in prac- 
 tice to make men understand the difference between un- 
 repented sin present, and the fear of sin future. 
 
 " In what manner do you propose making yourself 
 strong enough and good enough ?" said the Parson. '' I 
 suppose you hope to receive the Holy Communion before 
 you die, as you know that ^ except you eat the Flesh of 
 the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you have no life 
 in you.'' How do you mean, without Christ^s grace, to 
 make yourself good enough to receive Christ?" 
 
 This was a difficult question. Had the Parson put it 
 in the usual form, the usual answer would probably have 
 suggested itself, and something would have been said 
 about repentance, and prayer, and reading the Bible — 
 things which people are apt to imagine they can do of 
 themselves — but Arhen placed thus nakedly before him, 
 the fact of a man making himself holy by his own un- 
 assisted efforts did not seem exactly that which E. had 
 been accustomed to contemplate. 
 
 '^The truth is," said the Parson, ^''what you propose 
 to yourself is, in plain terms, salvation by works alone. 
 You mean to attain a certain degree of goodness, and 
 then to seek the Lord^s Table by way of reward. To 
 do something for God, and then to come to the Com- 
 munion in proof that you have done it. This is not 
 fighting against the world, the flesh, and the de^il with 
 
192 ' FAITH. 
 
 the LoRD^s weapons — ^it is figliting with your owii_, and 
 then coming to God and telling Him that you have 
 done so/^ 
 
 ^^But is not grace God^s weapon — and will He not 
 give me that if I pray for it ?" 
 
 ^' Of course He will. This is part of His Baptismal 
 Covenant with you. He has already, in virtue of that 
 covenant, given you the grace sufficient to preserve you 
 during childhood, and now He will give you the ad- 
 ditional grace which is necessary for your additional 
 trials in manhood ; but you must seek it through the 
 means which He has appointed for conveying it. You 
 cannot expect Him to alter the ordinary channel which 
 He has appointed for its conveyance, merely because 
 you prefer some other — to make a new dispensation to 
 suit your fancies. He sends His grace through His 
 ordinances. You want His grace, why do you not seek 
 it through His ordinances V 
 
 " I thought we were to be saved through faith ?" said 
 E. ^' Is not this making our salvation depend upon the 
 sacraments T' 
 
 '' Of course we are saved by faith,^^ said the Parson, 
 '^ and cannot be saved without. ' He that believeth not 
 shall be damned.^ But what is your idea of that word 
 Faith ? Is it believing that there is such a Person as 
 Jesus Christ ? or is it having confidence in what He 
 tells you ?^' 
 
 '^ IIa\dng confidence in what He tells us, I suppose,^^ 
 said E. 
 
 ^^ Then He tells you, ^ if you eat not the Flesh of the 
 Son of Man, and drink His Blood, you have no life in 
 you,^ and ' he that eateth Me shall live by Me.^ You 
 want to live, why do you not do that which He tells you 
 will make you live V 
 
 E. hesitated. 
 
 " Because,^^ continued the Parson, after a moment^s 
 pause, ^^ because in your heart you do not believe Him 
 — because you have no faith. Examine yourself upon 
 this point ; see whether under the guise of false humility 
 you have not taken up your own rather than your Sa- 
 
S. AUGUSTINE. 193 
 
 viouR^s idea of the Sacrament, and are not drawing your 
 conclusions from false principles. You are, I believe, 
 heartily sorry for your past offences, and your resolu- 
 tions for the future are sincere. Seal these resolutions 
 by the grace imparted at the Sacrament, and you will 
 probably render them permanent. Engage in these on 
 your own strength, and they will slip from you like 
 water. See here,^^ — and the Parson opened a large book 
 that was lying on the table — '^'^^To eat the heavenly 
 bread spiritually is to bring to the Altar an innocent 
 mind. Sins, though they be daily are not deadly (dis- 
 tinguishing of course between sins of infirmity and 
 habitual sins.) Before you go to the Altar, attend to 
 the prayer you repeat, ^ Forgive us our debts, as we for- 
 give our debtors.^ If thou forgivest thou art forgiven. 
 Approach confidently; it is bread, not poison. None 
 that eateth of this bread shall die.^ ■'^^ 
 
 1 Augustine, Tr, 26, 11. 
 
194 
 
 VI. 
 
 SACRAMENTAL GRACE. 
 
 '' You would advise me^ then^ not to go to Confirma- 
 tion at all?^^ said B. 
 
 " I did not say that/^ said the Parson. ^' I would 
 advise you to lay aside those unchristian feelings with 
 respect to your brother, who_, I admit, has sinned griev- 
 ously against you. When you have done this I would 
 advise you to go : hut till you have done this I would 
 advise you not to go/^ 
 
 '^'^You think, then/^ said B., musing, '^'^ that such a 
 feeling in my mind would be an obstacle to the recep- 
 tion of Divine grace ? You imagine that when I kneel 
 before the Bishop, and receive the imposition of his 
 hands, I should retain only the outward sign, having 
 lost the accompanying grace, because these feelings which 
 you call unchristian will have placed a bar against the 
 reception of it/^ 
 
 " I fear much worse than that,^^- said the Parson 
 gravely. ^'^Were the danger no greater than that of 
 merely not receiving a blessing ; were there no chance 
 of loss, no peril of damnation involved in it, I should 
 not feel justified in advising you or any one else to stay 
 away, for in that case the very worst that you could ex- 
 perience would be to gain nothing ; and I should have 
 no right to cut you off" from the faintest possibility of a 
 blessing. But I fear much worse than that. You can- 
 not prevent the reception of Divine grace if you seek it 
 in the ordinance which God has appointed for conveying 
 it. Whether you receive that grace to your souFs 
 health, or to your souFs damnation, is another question. 
 Receive it you must ; and I think, under your circum- 
 stances, it would be ^ a savour of death.^ " 
 
 B. looked up, startled and confused. This aspect of 
 the case was entirely new to him, and the magnitude of 
 his sin presented itself far more vividly to his mind when 
 
SACRAMENTAL GRACE. 195 
 
 thus placed in immediate opposition witli the tremendous 
 punishment which it involved. 
 
 " You think that there is no alternative V said he. 
 ^^ You think that it must be either life or death V 
 
 " No/'' said the Parson ; " I will not go so far as that. 
 That would interfere with the doctrine of repentance on 
 the one hand^ and the possibility of the falling from grace 
 on the other. But I will say thus much^ it will be either 
 eminently to your benefit^ or eminently to your loss. It 
 is very possible that the same act may be to your loss 
 and your neighbour's benefit. Suppose that_, contrary 
 to the advice of your physician^ you went to Madeira for 
 change of air^ because you heard that the air of that 
 country was salutary^ and knew that it had wrought a 
 great cure in some friend of yours. It is very possible 
 that this might be quite true^ and yet that this very air 
 might be extremely injurious to yourself personally^ be- 
 cause your constitution was not prepared to receive it. 
 But^ whether beneficial or injurious^ breathe it you must. 
 The act of going to the coimtry would determine that. 
 The act is voluntary on your part_, you may go or stay ; 
 but if you go^ the voluntary part ceases — breathe you 
 must. You receive something ; that something has 
 saved your friend^ that something kills you. This is the 
 danger of going heedlessly to Confirmation. 
 
 " What do you imagine would be the effect of eating 
 the Lord's Supper unworthily?''' continued the Parson, 
 after a pause. 
 
 ^'^It is quite certain what it would be/' said B. ^^ S. 
 Paul tells us that we should eat our own damnation." 
 
 '^ Then you must eat something more than the out- 
 ward and visible sign when you eat it unworthily/' said 
 the Parson. ^^ Bread and wine would never produce 
 your damnation. What does produce your damnation 
 is the inward and spiritual grace perverted by your ob- 
 stinate resistance. It is your attempt, so to speak, of 
 making Christ, now become one with you, a partaker 
 in your sin, which adds so immeasurably to your guilt. 
 Your danger lies, therefore, in receiving — there could 
 be no danger if you received nothing." 
 
 k2 
 
196 Sacramental grace. 
 
 "But you are speaking of the Lord^s Supper/' said 
 B._, " not of Confirmation ; and though I certainly wished 
 to be confirmed^ I had no idea of receiving the Holy 
 Communion — those very feelings which we have been 
 talking about would have prevented me. I did not un- 
 derstand the danger to its full extent, no doubt, nor see 
 it in the terrible light in which you have placed it ; but 
 I have seen quite enough of it to keep me away from 
 the Lord's Table.'' 
 
 " Do you imagine, then/' said the Parson, " that there 
 is one doctrine for the Lord's Supper, and another for 
 Confirmation, that you think you could go safely to the 
 one with feelings which would keep you from the other ?" 
 
 " They are not both alike Sacraments," said B. 
 
 " They are not both alike Sacraments of the Gospel," 
 said the Parson. '' Of Baptism our Lord has said de- 
 finitely, ' except a man be born of water and of the Holy 
 Ghost he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven.' Of 
 the Lord's Supper, ' Except ye eat the flesh of the Son 
 of Man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you.' 
 These two, therefore, the Church pronounces authorita- 
 tively to be necessary to salvation, which is more than 
 she dare assert of any of the other ordinances of religion, 
 because in their case she has received no authority to 
 do so. Still, every act of our religion has a sacramental 
 character, that is to say, being adapted to a creature 
 composed of body and soul, it is necessarily ^ an outward 
 visible sign of an inward spiritual grace.' If you per- 
 form the outward sign visibly, you receive whatever in- 
 ward grace the sign typifies and represents. Separate 
 these two component parts and there is nothing sacra- 
 mental. Were it not so, who could tell whether he did 
 or did not belong to the kingdom of heaven ; whether 
 he was or was not one with Christ? Now, the king- 
 dom of Christ considered as a means of grace, consists 
 of two Sacraments, and of several ordinances either 
 Apostolic or Ecclesiastical ; these are of diff'erent degrees 
 of value, no doubt, but all partake more or less of the 
 sacramental character. There is, therefore, only one 
 sacramental doctrine, which applies equally to them all. 
 
WHO SHOULD BE EXCLUDED. 197 
 
 By receiving any one of them unworthily^ you do not 
 lose^ you pervert^ whatever grace it conveys. That 
 which conveys life to another, conveys death to you ; or, 
 that which conveys gain to another conveys loss to you. 
 This is as true of the Lord^s Prayer as it is of the 
 LoRD^s Supper, and, therefore, that which you admit 
 would he your destruction in the Holy Communion, 
 would be your very great detriment, to say the least of 
 it, in Confirmation.^^ 
 
 '*^ What must I do, then?^^ said B., after along pause. 
 
 ^^ Do V said the Parson ; '^ ^ first be reconciled to thy 
 brother, and then come and offer thy gift.^ Put the 
 matter into my hands, and I will see what can be done. 
 I have great hopes of efi'ecting a reconciliation, but if I 
 fail in this, I shall treat the matter precisely as I would 
 in the case of the Holy Communion. If he is not will- 
 ing to make reparation for the errors which he has done, 
 and you, notwithstanding, profess yourself ready to make 
 reparation for the wrongs done on your part (for I need 
 not tell you that when two men quarrel each does wrong 
 to the other,) then I should admit you and exclude him. 
 If you will not do this, I shall exclude you both; and 
 that^ observe, not as a punishment to either of you, but 
 out of consideration for you, ^ lest the things which should 
 have been for your wealth, be unto you an occasion of 
 falling.^ '' 
 
THE OUTWARD VISIBLE SIGN, AND THE 
 INWARD SPIRITUAL GRACE. 
 
 The theory of the Church is, that salvation is abso- 
 lutely of free grace ; that nothing is our own ; but that 
 God gives freely, requires us to work honestly with that 
 which we have received freely, and then judges us ac- 
 cording to the use to which we have put His free gifts. 
 By this theory man^s independent work is entirely pre- 
 cluded, and therefore, with the Church, repentance, 
 faith, prayer, are Christian graces like any other Chris- 
 tian graces. They, like all others, are given freely, and 
 when given are to be cultivated. 
 
 The Calvinistic or Evangelical theory is that regene- 
 ration of necessity comes after faith and repentance and 
 prayer ; which implies that a certain amount of faith 
 and repentance must be achieved by unregenerate man, 
 which in some subsequent time is rewarded by the grace 
 of regeneration. God^s grace with them therefore prac- 
 tically is not free ; but is earned, as it were, by the 
 prayer or the faith which precedes regeneration. 
 
 When the Church calls upon a man, whom she pro- 
 nounces regenerate, to do works meet for repentance, 
 she merely calls upon him to " stir up the grace that is 
 in him,^^ that free grace which she considers him to have 
 received when he was baptized or regenerated. 
 
 But when the Calvinist or Evangelical preacher calls 
 upon the very same man for the very same works, he 
 calls upon him for human works done in his own strength, 
 because, according to his theory, the man whom he is 
 addressing is as yet in an unregenerate state, and, not 
 having as yet received the grace of God, must work, if 
 he work at all, without it. 
 
THE SACRAMENTAL THEORY. 199 
 
 We say, therefore, that the theory of the Church is 
 pre-eminently salvation of free grace, as opposed to the 
 Calvinistic or Evangelical theory, which is in fact salva- 
 tion by works, for faith itself when an act of the nnre- 
 generate will and intellect and not a free gift of God, is 
 just as much a human work as any other act of piety or 
 charity which we perform. 
 
 It is this difference which gives the colouring to the 
 two systems throughout. 
 
 The Churchman is taught to look hack upon his privi- 
 leges, and to live as a child of God should live. The 
 Calvinist, unprivileged as yet, is taught to look forward 
 to some indefinite period, and to live so as to attain that 
 position at some future time. The Churchman is God^s 
 soldier, whose duty it is to guard jealously that which 
 has been committed to his charge. The Calvinist, not 
 as yet a child of grace and therefore without any charge 
 to keep, hopes and prays at some future time to receive 
 one. The one is the labourer hired and sent into the 
 vineyard ; the other the labourer standing in the market 
 place anxious to be hired. 
 
 There is no part of the Christian theory in which this 
 difference shows itself so evidently as in the doctrine of 
 Sacramental grace. The Church teaches, that the Lord, 
 having by His death wrought out for man the gift of 
 grace which is to justify him or render him fit for salva- 
 tion, gives it freely to His own, that He may give it to 
 them at any time or in any manner, but that ordinarily 
 He does give it through those Sacraments or Sacra- 
 mental ordinances which He has appointed for the pur- 
 pose of conveying it. 
 
 Of necessity, therefore, the idea of Sacramental grace 
 does not accord with the theory of the Calvinist, and 
 does accord with that of the Church. The Calvinist 
 cannot imagine a free regeneration in Baptism, or a free 
 gift of the means of spiritual life in the Holy Commu- 
 nion, because this idea runs counter to his whole theory, 
 which is that of a future position which he is to gain by 
 his own unregenerate prayer, and faith, and repentance. 
 He therefore naturally considers Baptism and the Holy 
 
200 the' SACRAMENTAL THEORY 
 
 Communion as mere signs and types^ or rather as acted 
 sermons for his instruction and encouragement^ not as 
 actual and real gifts from Gon.^ 
 
 Hence the idea that faith on the part of the recipient 
 is a necessary element of the Sacrament itself, rather 
 than^ what the Church considers it_, a necessary medium 
 for the beneficial use of grace so received. 
 
 The doctrine of Christ^s Church is, that the Sacra- 
 ments, to be Sacraments at all, must consist of an out- 
 ward sign and an inward grace. The latter, which is 
 the free gift, is united to the former by the word of 
 Christ repeated by the Steward of God^s Mysteries in 
 the prayer of consecration, in the same manner as the 
 parchment on which a deed is written becomes united 
 with the intention of the deed by the act of writing 
 upon it. 
 
 It never has been imagined that a change is produced 
 in the nature of the water by the act of consecration ; 
 neither is there any change in the nature of the bread 
 and wine, no further change at least than is eJffected in 
 the nature of the parchment by the act of wi'iting upon 
 it. The change is in the value. The parchment, re- 
 maining parchment, becomes a deed, and 
 
 " Accedit Yerbum ad elementum, et fit Sacramentum." 
 
 The question naturally arises whether this Sacrament 
 
 ^ Hooker has devoted several sections in his fifth book to estabhsh the 
 Church theory of the Sacraments as channels of grace against this theory 
 of the Puritans. " It greatly ofiendeth, he says, that some when they 
 labour to show the use of Holy Sacraments, assign unto them no end 
 but only to teach the mind by other senses that which the Word doth 
 teach by hearing. Whereupon how easily neglect and careless regard of 
 so heavenly mysteries may foUow, we see in part by some experience 
 had of those men with whom that opinion is most strong. For when 
 the Word of God may be heard which teacheth with much more expe- 
 dition and more full expHcation anything we have to learn, if all the 
 benefit we reap by Sacraments be instruction, they which at all times 
 have the opportunity of using the better mean to that purpose, will 
 surely hold the worse in less estimation ; and unto infants which are 
 not capable of instruction, who would not think it a mere superfluity 
 that any Sacrament is administered, if to administer the Sacraments be 
 but to teach the receivers what GrOD doth for them ? There is of Sacra- 
 ments, therefore, undoubtedly some other more excellent and heavenly 
 use." — Hooker, B. Y. sect. 57, par. 1. 
 
OF THE ENGLISH CHURCH. 201 
 
 can be -unmade ; for if not^ it would appear to follow 
 that '^ the wicked and such as are void of a lively faith/^ 
 do actually receive the Body and Blood of Christ. 
 
 Here we can go no further than the letter of Scripture 
 will carry us. Scripture_, which tells us distinctly that 
 the union is made between the sign and the thing signi- 
 fied/ gives us no warrant for stating that it may be un- 
 made ; in fact says nothing about it ; but^ as the idea is 
 startling, men have from time to time invented theories 
 of their own, in order to get over this apparent diffi- 
 culty. Parkyns tells us_, " that the Abyssinian Chris- 
 tians imagine that an angel stands by unseen, and, on 
 the approach of the wicked, removes the inward and 
 invisible grace, leaving only the outward sign.^^ And 
 our own Bishop Ken, in one of his poems, entertains 
 the same idea. 
 
 We should observe first, that this and all similar theo- 
 ries are but human inventions for escaping from a diffi- 
 culty which in reality does not exist at all. The difficulty 
 arises from an inconsiderate inference (for it is nothing 
 more) which has been deduced from our Lord^s revela- 
 tion, (S. John vi. 51,) " I am the Living Bread which 
 came down from Heaven : if any man eat of this Bread, 
 he shall live for ever : and the Bread which I will give 
 is My Flesh,^^ &c. 
 
 Their syllogism is — if those who eat of this bread 
 shall live for ever ; if the wicked eat of this bread, 
 then the wicked shall inherit eternal life. This they 
 consider, and rightly consider, as impossible, and there- 
 fore they endeavour to escape it by the theory of some 
 subsequent division between the outward sign and in- 
 ward grace. But the whole of their difficulty arises 
 from their overlooking the 47th verse, which designates 
 the particular class of men of whom the Lord is at that 
 time speaking : He is speaking, and that exclusively, of 
 the faithful. These, He says, have everlasting life. 
 And having said this, He proceeds to reveal how it is 
 
 1 1 Cor. X. 16. — " The cup of blessing which, we bless, is it not the 
 Communion of the Blood of Cheist ? The bread which we break, is 
 it not the Communion of the Body of Cheist ?" 
 
 K 3 
 
202 THE SACRAMENTAL THEORY 
 
 that everlasting life is imparted to them. If we want 
 to see the effect of the same Sacrament on the unfaith- 
 ful recipient, we must go to the 10th chapter of S. PauFs 
 Eirst Epistle to the Corinthians. 
 
 There is therefore no difficulty to be got over, no con- 
 tradiction to be reconciled ; the wicked partakers in the 
 Lord's Holy Communion are not promised eternal life 
 by our Lord, and are menaced with damnation by the 
 Apostle. There is therefore no need for any human 
 theory, and it is never safe to be wise above that which 
 is written ; we know that after consecration a union 
 between the visible and the invisible has taken place. 
 The Lord who has united may no doubt dissolve, there- 
 fore we will take upon us to pronounce the union indis- 
 soluble. Still, as we have no Scriptural warrant for 
 imagining that in any case He has dissolved it, we shall 
 take the safest course if we treat the union as if it were 
 indissoluble, though we may not take upon us to pro- 
 nounce that it is so ; and it is a far more awful con- 
 sideration, and one more productive of holy fear and 
 reverence, that it is possible that the things which 
 should have been for our wealth, may be to us an occa- 
 sion of falling, and that by not discerning the Lord's 
 Body, we eat and drink our own damnation ; than that 
 by receiving unworthily, we simply lose a benefit which 
 under other circumstances we might have received. 
 
 Neither is there anything in the Sacramental theory 
 of the Church which contradicts such a supposition. 
 
 It is no doubt abhorrent to the Calvinistic theory of 
 a reward; for a wicked man tried and continuing in his 
 wickedness is an unfit object for any reward whatever; 
 but it is no more abhorrent to the Church's theory of 
 free grace that a wicked man should receive a free gift 
 from God, than it is that God's sun should shine, and 
 God's rain should fall, on the just and on the unjust. 
 His trial and his condemnation do not depend upon his 
 receiving the gifts — these he receives as his covenanted 
 rights, — but on the use to which he puts these gifts after 
 he has received them. Hence he is said to eat and 
 drink his own damnation." 
 
OF THE ENGLISH CHURCH. 203 
 
 This union between the outward sign and the inward 
 grace, even if we do treat it as indissoluble^ can never be 
 confounded with either Consubstantiation or Transub- 
 stantiation. The essential difference is this_, that both 
 these imply a change of nature in the elements,, the one 
 by addition, the other by transmutation. This the 
 Church of England^ following the teaching of orthodox 
 antiquity, does not recognise ; what the Church of Eng- 
 land does recognise is a change of value, while the nature 
 or substance remains the same. 
 
 According to the Sacramental theory of the Church 
 Catholic, and therefore of the Church of England, the 
 change which takes place in whatever element may be 
 the outward sign of the particular Sacrament by the act 
 of consecration; is that which takes place in a banker^s 
 bill or cheque by the act of signature. 
 
 This signature may be performed by the banker him- 
 self, or by his authorised clerk, it does not matter 
 which j but as soon as it is accomplished, that piece of 
 paper, though before comparatively valueless, becomes 
 now, without in any way changing its nature, the repre- 
 sentative of the banker^ s credit to the amount which 
 his word has willed. And, indeed, the illustration is 
 complete throughout : the cheque thus signed becomes 
 the instrument whereby wealth is conveyed : it is not 
 only intended to convey, but it is calculated to convey, and 
 does convey, a certain amount of benefit to the recipient, 
 whoever he may be. The recipient, however, is quite at 
 liberty to use the wealth so conveyed to bad purposes, 
 and may injure himself by so doing ; but whether he use 
 it to bad purposes or to good purposes, whether it be 
 really injurious, or (what it was intended to be) bene- 
 ficial, he has received a Z>ona /c?e cheque, — an actual sum 
 of money ; in no case whatever, short of formally recall- 
 ing it, can this cheque ever again become the valueless 
 piece of paper which it was before signature, except by 
 the failure of credit in him who signed it. 
 
 This illustration holds good in every ordinance in the 
 Church which bears a Sacramental character. With 
 respect to the Lord's Supper in particular, it is very 
 
204 THE SACRAMENTAL THEORY 
 
 remarkable how tlie teaching of the Church of England 
 conveys the idea of an indissoluble union between the 
 inward grace and the outward sign^ when we compare 
 its practice with that of those churches which are 
 tainted with Lutheranism. The Church of England 
 directs that^ if any of the bread and wine remain un- 
 consecrated^ the curate shall have it for his own use^ 
 because then it is merely what it was — bread and wine ; 
 but if the prayer of consecration shall have been said 
 over it_, then it may not be carried out of the churchy 
 evidently because it has now become the outward sign 
 of the inward grace — that is to say^ the Sacrament. 
 Whereas, in the Swedish Church_, whatever wine re- 
 mains may be poured back into the vessels and used for 
 ordinary purposes. This is perfectly consistent with 
 their belief that the elements received may convey to 
 the communicant at the moment of reception the very 
 Eody and Blood of Christ though no change whatever 
 takes place in the elements themselves ; but it would 
 not be at all consistent with the Churches idea of a 
 Sacrament — namely,, that the elements have become the 
 outward visible sign of the inward spiritual grace. ^ 
 
 * It may be said that the reason for this is, lest the consecrated ele- 
 ments might be used for superstitious purposes. It no doubt was a 
 reason, but this only brings out the characteristic teaching of the English 
 Church into stronger relief. The Swedes, the most superstitious nation 
 on earth, had no superstition with respect to the consecrated elements, 
 and therefore there was no need of guarding against any. Superstition 
 is but the shadow from an unseen Light, which indicates by its presence 
 the existence of that Light. The English might be superstitious about 
 the vehicles of so great a mystery. There is not room for superstition 
 in the Swedish mere bi'ead and wine. 
 
 The Calvinistic idea of the elements is perfectly consistent with the 
 Calvinistic theory of religion. According to the teaching of this sect, 
 the Sacrament of the Eucharist is a mere memorial, — it conveys no grace 
 whatever ; and it would be absolutely incompatible with such a theory 
 that the elements should possess any value. With them it is not a 
 Sacrament in any sense of the word, — it is merely the re-acting of a 
 certain scene for the purpose of impressing it on the mind more vividly, 
 hke the ancient sacred dramas, or " mysteries," as they were called ; its 
 action is on the intellect and memory, not on the heart, and in no way 
 is it the " outward visible sign of an inward spiritual grace." 
 
 The Swedish theory, that the elements convey a definite and real 
 grace, without being consecrated to GrOD or possessing any value, is not 
 
FROM THE PRAYER BOOK. 205 
 
 This illustration^ however^ can hardly be said to de- 
 scribe that deep mystery^ the Presence of the Lord^s 
 Body in the elements of the Holy Communion ; it is 
 only an illustration^ for we cannot but see that there is 
 in this mystery something grander^ higher_, and more in- 
 comprehensible to human reason than we find in any 
 other Sacramental ordinance whatever. It is unsafe to 
 define what God has not defined ; what in all proba- 
 bility He has not defined^ because human reason was 
 incapable of receiving it ; a general illustration of the 
 Sacramental theory will give us the idea ; reverence 
 will forbid us from prying into it too closely^ while 
 faith will supply what reason is incapable of receiving. 
 
 THE PRAYER BOOK. 
 
 The theory of the English Church is change of value 
 in the elements^ but not change of nature ; and^ in con- 
 formity with thisj she never admits the possibility of a 
 man receiving the mere outward sign ; worthy or un- 
 worthy^ he receives not the outward sign^ but the Sa- 
 crament. She speaks of the reception of this Sacra- 
 ment as " dangerous to those who presume to receive it 
 unwortliily /^ she warns them again and again of ^^the 
 dignity of that Holy Mystery^ and the great peril of the 
 unworthy receiving thereof/^ she tells them that so 
 doing will ^'^ increase their damnation/^ — that it will 
 make them guilty of the Body and Blood of Christ; 
 she warns those who would approach^ without repent- 
 ance " not to come to that Holy Table/' by holding forth 
 to them the example of Judas. 
 
 Now_, as the Church of England does not warn people 
 in this earnest manner against coming unworthily to 
 prayers^ it is evident that she is here speaking of that 
 which she considers of more consequence than the ordi- 
 
 Lutheran, neither is it Calvinistie, but an anomalous and incompatible 
 compound of the two ideas ; it is one of those inconsistencies into which 
 every national church must fall, that sUghts its cathohcity, and cuts 
 itself off by its own will and its own act from the Church of Cheist, 
 
206 THE SACRAMENTAL THEORY 
 
 nary service^ and that slie regards the elements as some- 
 thing more than mere bread and wine_, things which_, in 
 themselves^ can be dangerous to nobody. 
 
 The idea of the Church of England, then^ is not 
 merely that all communicants alike receive the bread 
 and winCj but that all, faithful or unfaithful^ receive the 
 Body and Blood of Christ, either to their souFs health, 
 or to their temporal and eternal damnation. 
 
 It is precisely the same with respect to Baptism : 
 there are not tvro Baptisms for the remission of sins, 
 but one. The most unworthy recipient of adult Bap- 
 tism has received not only the outward sign of the 
 water, but the inward grace which that water typifies 
 and conveys. He has received it to his own infinite 
 loss, it may be, but he has received it. This is perfectly 
 evident, for were he to repent at some subsequent period 
 of his life, he would not be baptized afresh, as he must 
 be if his first Baptism were imperfect ; that original Bap- 
 tism, unworthy as he was of it then, would still be valid, 
 and, on the supposition of his sincere repentance, would 
 become the efiicacious instrument of his salvation. 
 
 The very same may be said of Confirmation : no one 
 is confirmed anew upon pleading want of faith at the 
 time of originally receiving it ; if he has received it un- 
 faithfully, the things which should have been to his 
 wealth are to him an occasion of falling ; but when the 
 wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he 
 hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and 
 right, that very same grace may become efficacious, and 
 he may save his soul alive. Thus all, good and bad, 
 faithful and unfaithful, when they receive the outward 
 sign, receive at the same time the Sacrament, or sacra- 
 mental ordinance, which the outward sign represents ; 
 and we have no reason for supposing that the Sacrament 
 of the Holy Communion is any exception to this ge- 
 neral law. 
 
 This will become more evident, if we compare this 
 doctrine of the Prayer Book with the same doctrine as 
 set forth by the Bible. 
 
 The doctrine in question will be found in the tenth 
 chapter of S. PauFs first Epistle to the Corinthians. 
 
FROM THE BIBLE. 207 
 
 THE BIBLE. 
 
 It may be laid down as a general rule of typical inter- 
 pretation^ that there is nothing in the type which has 
 not its counterpart and correspondence in the antitype. 
 
 In all cases^ where an argument is drawn from the 
 type to the antitype^ the necessity of bearing this rule 
 strictly and closely in mind, will easily appear. 
 
 To apply these remarks to the elucidation of the doc- 
 trine of the Sacraments. 
 
 In 1 Cor. X., S. Paul is arguing against the notion, that 
 because Christians had been baptized, and had been ad- 
 mitted to Holy Communion, therefore they might safely 
 join in the idol-feasts. 
 
 For the purpose of this argument, he states : 
 
 1. The two types of Holy Baptism, the cloud and the 
 Sea. 
 
 2. The type of Holy Communion, the Manna i and 
 the Rock. 
 
 Of the types of Holy Baptism, he says: — ^''I would 
 not that ye should be ignorant, brethren, how that all 
 our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through 
 the sea, and were all baptized ^ unto Moses in the cloud 
 and in the sea. 
 
 Of the types of the Holy Communion, he says : — " And 
 did all eat the same spiritual meat, and did all drink the 
 same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual rock 
 that followed them. And that rock was Christ.'^ 
 
 He then adds — " But with many of them^ God was 
 not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wil- 
 derness.'^ '^Now these things were our examples.'-'* 
 
 And again, v. 11. ^^ Now all these things happened 
 unto them for examples."^ 
 
 Observe how careful S. Paul has been to say ^' alV^ 
 and ^' the same" He repeats " alV five times in the 
 laying down the types, and once again, v. 17, where he 
 
 1 Compare S. John vi. 31 — 63 ; iv. 10 — 14, 2 ^^ainia-avro. 
 
 3 Tols irkeloffiv avruv. '* Tavra Se Tvttoi tjjxSov iyevrjdrjffav, 
 
 ^ Tavra Se irdura Tviroi crvvefiaivou iKcii/ois. 
 ^ iravTcs Tb avro. 
 
208 THE SACRAMENTAL THEORY 
 
 is speaking of the antitype. " For we are all partakers 
 of that one bread," 
 
 In like manner lie repeats '' the same " twice in speak- 
 ing of the type and its counterparty " that one''^ in speak- 
 ing of the antitype. 
 
 Observe further that the whole point and force of S . 
 PauPs argument turns upon the use of these words, 
 ''air and '' the same:' 
 
 All our forefathers were partakers of the same types 
 of the Holy Sacraments. But, nevertheless, many of 
 these perished miserably in the wilderness, i.e., the fact 
 of their universal and common participation did not avail 
 to save them. 
 
 You have all been admitted to partake of the same 
 antitypes. Beware lest this your universal and common 
 participation upon which you are relying, have a like 
 miserable issue. 
 
 The argument is relevant and cogent throughout. 
 
 But where is its relevancy or cogency, or consistency 
 with the above rule of typical interpretation, and the 
 application of it to an argument, if S. Paul is made to 
 teach in this place of Holy Scripture, that all our fore- 
 fathers were partakers of the same types, but that some 
 only of the baptized and communicants are partakers of 
 the antitypes, and that the rest are either not partakers 
 of them at all, or in a different way ? 
 
 S. Paul has indeed guarded carefully against any such 
 misrepresentation of his teaching, by the use of the 
 words " air' and '' that one'' in v. 17, foreseeing, it would 
 appear, in what manner the doctrine of the Sacraments 
 would be perverted or misapprehended. 
 
 It is impossible to expound clearly this place of Holy 
 Scripture, or to apprehend what S. PauPs argument in 
 this place is, except we admit, that the thing given and 
 received in and by the outward and visible sign in Holy 
 Baptism, and Holy Communion is, in all cases, iden- 
 tically one and the same thing. 
 
 As in the types, so in the antitypes. 
 
 ^ €K ToC kvhs " the one." 
 
FROM THE BIBLE. 209 
 
 What is the efficacy of the thing so given and received 
 is another question. 
 
 That efficacy may be ^^nnto life/^ as in the case of 
 those who receive ^^ worthily/^ or it may be "unto 
 death/' as in the case of those who receive "unwor- 
 thily/^ 
 
 It is competent to suppose a case in which an adult, 
 having been a grievous sinner, presents himself to be 
 baptized without any faith or repentance, with hypo- 
 crisy, mockery, and blasphemy in his heart, — a case in 
 which the profanation of the Sacrament of Holy Bap- 
 tism is the one thing that remains to fill up the measure 
 of iniquity. 
 
 It is competent also to suppose a case of an adult 
 baptized in infancy, and yet so living, and so coming to 
 Holy Communion, as to "purchase to himself damna- 
 tion.^^ Article xxv. 
 
 In both these cases the outward and visible sign has 
 passed, conveying Gon^s gift. 
 
 But it has been finally " unto death.^' And, short of 
 such extreme cases of receiving "unworthily," and 
 therein of final condemnation, there will be cases of re- 
 ceiving " unworthily " in diflPerent degrees ; in all of 
 which the receiving is "unto death." ^ 
 
 Again, of those who receive "worthily," i.e., with re- 
 pentance and faith, there must be an infinite number of 
 degrees, from the lowest degree of repentance and faith, 
 to the highest. 
 
 The efficacy of the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, in the 
 case of adults, and of the Sacrament of the Body and 
 Blood of Christ, in the case of all receiving, i.e., the 
 comfort and edification imparted therein and thereby, 
 must be relative and proportional in each case. 
 
 But the thing given and received is identically the same in 
 all. If it be not received at all in the case of those who 
 receive "unworthily," then in their case there is no Sa- 
 crament. If it be a different thing that is received by 
 them, from that which is received by those who receive 
 
 1 Compare 1 Cor. xi. 30. 
 
210 THERE IS BUT ONE GRACE. 
 
 ^' worthily/^ then in their case there is a different Sacra- 
 ment, i.e., the doctrine is taught of two kinds of Sacra- 
 ments^ and not one; two Holy Baptisms, two Holy 
 Communions. 
 
 It is obvious to remark_, upon this passage of Holy 
 Scripture, how clearly it instances the oneness of the 
 doctrine of the Sacraments. S. Paul lays down in the 
 outset the types of both Sacraments, but he argues from 
 these types to the right receiving of the Holy Com- 
 munion onli/. 
 
EXAMINATION PAPERS. 
 
 There are few methods of preparing catechumens for 
 Confirmation more generally useful^ not to the catechu- 
 men only, but to the parish at large,, than the weekly 
 distribution of examination papers, and the weekly cor- 
 rection of them by the Parson. 
 
 On the Sunday evening, immediately after an expla- 
 natory sermon, each catechumen should be furnished 
 with a paper of questions, the answers to which he is ex- 
 pected to submit to the Parson^ s inspection in the course 
 of the ensuing week. Those which I subjoin are pub- 
 lished by Parker, and form the 29th number of his Pa- 
 rochial Tracts. This is the second series, the first is 
 somewhat less difficult, but in aU other respects similar. 
 
 It may seem at first sight that both these series are 
 too difficult for the purpose, and no doubt there will 
 always be many whom they will not suit ; for these the 
 Parson may make out a simpler form, but, for a parish 
 properly prepared, the forms given will not be found by 
 any means too difficult, because they refer to matters 
 treated of in the sermons and lectures of the preceding 
 Sunday ; neither must we compare them with school or 
 college examination papers, which are given to test the 
 learning or ability of each individual, and which there- 
 fore must be answered by the individual himself; the 
 object of these papers is to diffuse accurate ideas on 
 matters of religion as widely as possible throughout the 
 parish, and to induce search into matters not thought of 
 before, rather than to prove previous search and study. 
 When these papers are delivered, each catechumen 
 should be made to understand that he is at full liberty 
 to get assistance in answering them wherever he can 
 
212 HOLY BAPTISM, 
 
 find it_, — tliat tlie Parson^s library is open to him at cer- 
 tain times_, — that the Parson himself is ready to answer 
 or explain anything, or to give any references^ or to pro- 
 cure any tracts which may be supposed to throw light 
 upon the subject. Instead of being forbidden to ask his 
 friends,, he should be encouraged to do so^ because it is 
 just as much the Parson^ s aim, that the catechumen^ s 
 friends should profit by these papers, as that the cate- 
 chumen himself should profit by them. If the ques- 
 tions were such as the catechumens could answer readily, 
 and wdthout any farther study than that which they 
 have already gone through, the papers would be nearly 
 useless : they are intended, in the first place, as the 
 guides to religious reading, and, in the second, each 
 catechumen is supposed to keep them as remembrancers 
 for future years. 
 
 It will be observed that in the tract as sold by Parker, 
 such subject, except the last, is complete in a single leaf. 
 It is strongly recommended that the Parson do not give 
 out the whole tract at once, because it is found in prac- 
 tice that it is impossible in that case to confine the cate- 
 chumens to one subject, — that they will read through 
 the whole as a book, and acquire only a confused idea 
 of it ; so also will those whom they consult ; whereas, if 
 they have but one subject given them at a time, they 
 will turn their whole attention to that one subject, and 
 probably will acquire a very fair idea of it before they 
 are required to enter upon another. The Parson, there- 
 fore, should cut the thread that sews the tract together, 
 and give out the separated leaves singly. 
 
 I. — Holy Baptism. 
 
 1. What is the state and condition of every child of 
 man born into the world ? 
 
 Whence has this its origin ? 
 
 Does original or birth sin consist in sinning like Adam ? 
 
 If not, define in what it does consist. (See Ninth 
 Article.) 
 
HOLY BAPTISM. 213 
 
 2. What means has God appointed in the Church to 
 remedy this ? 
 
 Is "birth-sin" so entirely done away_, that no ten- 
 dency to evil remains ? 
 
 3. Give the literal and the sacramental meaning of 
 the word " Baptism." 
 
 When^ and by whom^ and in what words^ was this 
 Sacrament ordained? 
 
 Had any previous intimation of its necessity been given? 
 To whom? S. John iii. 
 
 4. Was our blessed Lord baptized ? 
 By whom ? 
 
 Can you give any reason for this ? S. Matt. iii. (First 
 Prayer in the Order of Public Baptism of Infants.) 
 
 In what did the Baptism of John and the Baptism in 
 the name of the Lord Jesus differ? Acts xix. 
 
 5. Were there any converts to the Christian Faith in 
 the days of the Apostles who were not baptized ? 
 
 What do you infer from this ? 
 
 Mention some remarkable converts who were by Bap- 
 tism made members of Christ. 
 
 6. It is said in the Catechism that Holy Baptism and 
 Holy Communion are " generally" necessary to salva- 
 tion : what do you understand by the word generally ? 
 
 Illustrate your answer by a reference to any other 
 part of the Book of Common Prayer. (See the Office 
 for the Baptism of Adults.) 
 
 Show that the account of S. PauFs conversion (Acts ix., 
 xxii.) is a testimony to the statement of Hooker (book v. 
 sect. Ivii. 5), "It is not ordinarily God^s will to bestow 
 the grace of Sacraments on any_, but by the Sacra- 
 ments." 
 
 7. What ordinance of the Jewish Church corresponded 
 with the Sacrament of Baptism? 
 
 At what age was this administered? 
 
 8. Have we any command^ direct or implied, to bring 
 our infants to be baptized ? 
 
 What does the Church say on this subject? (See 
 Twenty- seventh Article; first Rubric to the Office of 
 Private Baptism.) 
 
214 BAPTISMAL VOWS. 
 
 9. What matter and wliat words are essential to make 
 Baptism valid ? 
 
 Why does the Church order the sign of the cross to 
 be made on the infantas forehead ? (See Office for the 
 Public Baptism of Infants.) 
 
 10. What are the benefits which the baptized receive 
 in this Sacrament? 
 
 In what relation do they stand to God ? 
 Quote Holy Scripture in proof of your answer. Rom. 
 viii. 15. 
 
 II. — Baptismal Yows. 
 
 1. Explain fully, " My godfathers and godmothers in 
 my Baptism did promise and vow three things in my 
 name.'^ 
 
 How far are you bound by their promise ? 
 
 If you fail in your engagement_, what will be the result ? 
 
 Give Scriptural proofs. 
 
 2. What is the first thing required of persons to be 
 baptized ? 
 
 Explain what three things in particular you have 
 vowed to renounce. 
 
 Give proofs from Holy Scripture that the Christian is 
 able by Divine Grace to overcome Satan. 
 
 Also quote from the Old and New Testament any 
 text which may show how the world and its pomps and 
 vanity are to be regarded. Eccles.^ 1 S. John, Coloss. 
 
 What are the lusts or works of the flesh ? Gal. v. 
 
 Is it permitted to the young to indulge in these? 
 Epistle to Timothy. 
 
 Enumerate those graces which the baptized are to 
 strive to exhibit in their life and conversation. 
 
 3. What brief summary have we of the chief Articles 
 of our Faith ? 
 
 What does the Church say concerning Creeds ? (See 
 Article of Religion.) 
 
 Why is the Creed contained in the Form of Daily 
 Prayer and in the Catechism called the Apostles' Creed ? 
 
PRAYER. 215 
 
 4. What title is given to that Creed which we use in 
 the office for Holy Communion ? 
 
 Why was it so called ? 
 
 Can you give any historical account of it ? 
 
 Who was the great champion of the Faith by whose 
 name the third Creed is called ? 
 
 Did he compose it ? 
 . 5. Mention any occasions on which the Three Persons 
 of the Blessed Trinity are related in Holy Scripture to 
 have been present. 
 
 Give Scriptural proofs that ^^the Father is God/^ 
 ^'the Son is God/^ ^'^the Holy Ghost is God/^ '^^ and 
 yet they are not Three Gods^ but One God/^ 
 
 6. Give in three words the three things promised and 
 vowed by you through your sponsors in your Baptism. 
 
 What is the third at length ? 
 
 7. Where do you find the duty of a Christian set forth ? 
 What two precepts of our Blessed Lord comprehend 
 
 the whole of these ? 
 
 By what word are the Ten Commandments designated ? 
 
 On what were these originally written ? 
 
 Which commandments contain your duty towards 
 God? 
 
 What are these called ? 
 
 Which your duty towards your neighbour ? 
 
 What are they styled ? 
 
 Who is your neighbour ? 
 
 8. Explain each. Commandment by the summary 
 which the Catechism contains of your duty to God and 
 to your neighbour. 
 
 Show that outward obedience is of no avail_, unless 
 the heart be right with God. 2 Cor. x._, and any other 
 passages you may recollect. 
 
 III. — Prayer. 
 
 1. — Are you able, in your own strength, to do all that 
 you have promised by your sponsors ? 
 Of what then have you especial need ? 
 
216 CONFIRMATION. 
 
 How is tliis to be sought for ? 
 
 2. Quote passages from Holy Scripture to prove tlie 
 necessity of a Mediator or Intercessor between God and 
 man. 
 
 Is there more than one Mediator ? 
 
 3. Show the necessity oi private Midi public prayer, by 
 texts from the Old and New Testament. 
 
 Was our Blessed Lord careful to use private prayer, 
 and to be present at the services of the Temple and the 
 synagogues? 
 
 What inference do you draw from this ? 
 
 4. What grounds have we for supposing that God 
 accepts man^s offering of Houses set apart and conse- 
 crated to His service? 
 
 Are any blessings specially promised to them who 
 meet together for Common Prayer in such Holy Places ? 
 
 5. State any arguments you can in favour of a pre- 
 composed Liturgy, and against extempore prayers. 
 
 Why is the Prayer Book of the Church of England 
 called the '^ Book of Common Prayer ?^^ 
 
 6. Give a short paraphrase or explanation of the 
 LoRD^s Prayer. 
 
 IV. — Confirmation. 
 
 1. What is the original and literal meaning of the 
 word '' Sacrament V 
 
 What do you mean by the word in its highest sense, 
 as used in the Catechism ? 
 
 How many Sacraments has Christ ordained in His 
 Church? 
 
 Show the three points you regard to be requisite to 
 constitute a Sacrament. 
 
 2. Is the Holy Spirit given to us in all His fulness 
 at Baptism ? 
 
 Have we any grounds for supposing that He will at 
 any subsequent period come unto us ? 
 
 What rite is ordered for the conveyance of the Divine 
 Gift? 
 
HOLY COMMUNION. 217 
 
 Define tlie ordinance and the graces bestowed upon a 
 meet recipient. 
 
 By what other significant names is it known ? 
 
 3. Had the Jewish Church any rite which at all bore 
 a resemblance to this ? 
 
 What reasons have you to suppose that our Blessed 
 Lord observed it? S. Luke ii. 
 
 4. Is Confirmation a Divine ordinance ? 
 
 On what grounds do you make this answer ? 
 Prove that it was regarded by the Apostles as essential^ 
 and consequently generally practised. Acts viii. ; xix. 
 In what rank does S. Paul place it? Heb. vi. 
 What order of clergy can alone administer it ? 
 
 5. What does the Church of England, either in Ru- 
 brics or any other part of the Prayer Book, say of Con- 
 firmation ? 
 
 Are you therefore bound to observe this holy ordi- 
 nance ? 
 
 Do you thereby incur any obligation which you have 
 not already incurred by your Baptism ? 
 
 6. What is required of those who come to be con- 
 firmed? 
 
 What benefits are you seeking in partaking of this 
 holy rite ? 
 
 Do you desire and intend, immediately, and regularly 
 after your Confirmation, to be a partaker of the Sacra* 
 ment of the Lord^s Supper ? 
 
 7. Is any symbolic action used in administering Con- 
 firmation ? 
 
 Of what is it emblematic ? 
 
 V. — The Holy Communion. 
 
 I. When was the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper 
 ordained ? 
 
 Had our Blessed Lord given any previous intimation 
 that this, like Holy Baptism, was necessary to salva- 
 tion? S. John vi. 
 
 In Baptism, life was given ; in Confirmation, strength 
 
 L 
 
218 flOLY COMMUNION. 
 
 and illumination : what blessing is attached to a faithful 
 partaking of the Lord^s Supper ? 
 
 2. Quote S. Paulas account of the Institution. 1 Cor. 
 Was he an eye-witness ? or whence did he obtain the 
 
 knowledge ? 
 
 By what other names is this Sacrament known ? 
 
 3. How many parts are there in a Sacrament? 
 What is the outward part^ or sign, in the Lord^s 
 
 Supper ? 
 
 What the inward part, or thing signified ? 
 
 Quote S. Paul to confirm your statement. 
 
 By what mean is the inward part received ? Art. xxviii. 
 
 What do " the wicked, and such as be void of a lively 
 faith," take therein? Art. xxix. 
 
 Wliat are the benefits of which the faithful are par- 
 takers thereby ? 
 
 What injuries do the wicked bring on themselves by 
 their irreverent partaking ? 
 
 4. Is there any symbolic action in the administration 
 of this Sacrament? 
 
 What does this represent ? 
 
 In what do we, by celebrating the Holy Eucharist, 
 plead an interest ? 
 
 5. Was the sacrifice of Christ necessary to man^s 
 redemption ? 
 
 Prove this by quotation from Holy Scripture. 
 
 Do you know of any types that God had fore-ordained 
 of this sacrifice ? 
 
 Quote any prophecies you may remember concerning 
 the Crucifixion, with their fulfilment. 
 
 6. Explain how Christ was " the Lamb of God slain 
 from the foundation of the world." Rev. xiii. 8. 
 
 What blessings did Christ procure for us by His 
 Resurrection and Ascension ? 
 
 7. Mention in four words " what is required of them 
 who come to the Lord's Supper." 
 
 Can you neglect or turn away from this Holy Sacra- 
 ment without committing a sin against God's law, and 
 endangering the welfare of your soul ? S. John vi. 
 
 How often ought you to receive it ? 
 
THE CHURCH. 219 
 
 VI. — The Church. 
 
 1. What do you profess in the Apostles' and Nicene 
 Creeds to believe concerning the Church ? 
 
 Explain the various meanings which are attached to 
 the word '' Church.^' 
 
 What is the meaning designed in the Creeds ? 
 
 Illustrate your answer by a reference to the Articles 
 of Religion, and any other part of the Book of Common 
 Prayer you may call to mind. 
 
 2. How is the Church " Holy ?'' 1 S. Pet. i. ; 2 Tim. 
 i. ; Eph. iv. j 1 Cor. iii. 
 
 What do you mean by the word Catholic ? and how 
 does this apply to the Church? S. Matt, xxviii. ; S. 
 Mark xvi. ; Eph. iv. 
 
 Can any one branch of the Church claim the title of 
 Catholic to the exclusion of the rest ? 
 
 How is the Church Apostolic ? Eph. ii. ; Acts ii. 
 
 How is the Church One ? Eph. iv. ; S. John x. ; 
 1 Cor. X. ; Rom. xii. ; I Cor. xii. 
 
 3. Of whom is the Church composed ? 
 
 By what title does our Blessed Lord caU His Church 
 in many of His Parables ? 
 
 Give Scriptural proofs that on earth the good and 
 bad will be mingled together in this Society. 
 
 By what four marks are the true members distin- 
 guished ? Acts ii. 
 
 4. When the Apostles planted churches in Samaria, 
 Antioch, and other places, were these considered sepa- 
 rate bodies, or merely branches of the One Holy, Ca- 
 thoHc, and Apostolic Church ? 
 
 5. What order of Clergy are necessary to the exist- 
 ence and government of the Church ? 
 
 Did the Apostles receive any authority to hand down 
 their office to others, who in like manner were again to 
 transmit it? S. Matt, xxvii. 20. 
 
 Name any Bishops mentioned in the New Testament 
 as consecrated by the Apostles. 
 
 l2 
 
220 ' THE CHURCH. 
 
 Quote any text in wMcli directions are given to these 
 Bishops to ordain. 
 
 By what other titles were Bishops denominated? 
 Bev. i. ii. iii. 
 
 6. What other orders of Clergy are in the Church ? 
 By what titles is the second order distinguished in 
 
 the New Testament ? 
 
 Have these always existed since the Apostles' time ? 
 Give an account of the first ordination of Deacons. 
 
 7. On what ground does the Church of England 
 claim to be a branch of the One Catholic and Apostolic 
 Church? 
 
 Have we any reason to suppose that a branch was 
 planted in Britain before the mission of S. Augustine, 
 A.D. 597? 
 
 8. In what century did the Pope begin to usurp do- 
 minion over the Anglican Church ? 
 
 In what reign did the English set about throwing off 
 this usurped dominion ? 
 
 Is the Church of England^ as she now exists, a New 
 Church? 
 
 Upon what principle did the Reformers act ? 
 
 9. In what light does Holy Scripture represent 
 ^^ Schism?" 
 
 How does the Church of England regard it ? 
 What language does she put into her children's 
 mouths to pray for unity ? 
 
 10. " The Church hath power to decree Rites or Ce- 
 remonieSj and authority in Controversies of Faith." 
 
 " The Church is a witness and keeper of Holy Writ." 
 Art. XX. 
 
 Explain these assertions, and prove them fiilly from 
 Holy Scripture. 
 
 Enumerate the privileges enjoyed in the Church. 
 
SYNOPSIS OF SEEMONS. 
 
 At one time I used frequently to teach, by requiring 
 from my catecliumens a synopsis of my sermon. I got 
 the idea at Lavington. To make notes of the afternoon 
 sermons was a regular Sunday evening exercise in Arch- 
 deacon Manning^s schools. These notes were delivered 
 to the schoolmaster on the Monday morning, and those 
 which he considered deserving the distinction were kept 
 for the Archdeacon's own reading. I introduced the 
 practice into Westbourne, and extended it to the pupil- 
 teachers and to the catechumens preparing for Con- 
 firmation. Several very good, sound, sensible essays 
 have been from time to time sent to me, sometimes 
 from the unaided pens of the catechumens, sometimes 
 with more or less assistance from their friends ; for, as 
 my object was to teach, not only the catechumens, but 
 the whole parish, I gave it to be understood that I per- 
 mitted any amount of assistance from their friends or 
 relations. 
 
 Much good may reasonably be expected from this 
 mode of teaching. It is calculated to fix the mind, to 
 prevent the thoughts from wandering during the ser- 
 mon, and to give a habit, not only of attention, but of 
 reflection also. StiU, I have reason to doubt whether 
 all this good is not mixed with a considerable portion of 
 evil. I am quite sure that the use of this method requires 
 little sound judgment in the Parson, and that it cannot 
 be safely practised on all subjects, or recommended to 
 all people indiscriminately. I was convinced of this by 
 its efi'ect on myself. Some time after I had adopted this 
 practice, there was a great congregation in the nave of 
 Chichester Cathedral for some general purpose, and I 
 
223 SYNOPSIS OF SERMONS. 
 
 went, intending to write a report of it, together with a 
 synopsis of the sermon, for one of the Church papers, — 
 in fact, to do myself precisely what I was in the habit 
 of requiring from others. I wrote a very satisfactory 
 article, no doubt, and very likely gave the public a good 
 idea of the Bishop^ s sermon ; but the effect on my own 
 mind was anything but satisfactory. Instead of turning 
 my attention to the subject generally, and as a whole, 
 the service, the lessons, and the general effect of the 
 sermon, I found I had been watching for the '' points,^^ 
 for remarkable passages which I could recollect, or which 
 would be effective; and, as I went home, that which 
 was turning in my mind was, not the subject, but the 
 arrangement, the mechanical part of it. 
 
 From that time forward I determined, not indeed to. 
 abandon the use of this exercise, but to limit it very ma- 
 terially. My idea is, that, as a general mode of teach- 
 ing, to be used indiscriminately, like catechising or exa- 
 mination papers, it is injurious, or may be injurious, 
 but that it may be used with effect occasionally ; that 
 the class of sermons best calculated for it is that the 
 character of which is explanatory ; it is best of all cal- 
 culated for an argumentative treatise, but no sermons ad 
 populum ought to be argumentative at all. According 
 to my judgment, all those sermons which are of a hor- 
 tatory character are utterly unfit for it. For instance, 
 I should not again recommend, or even permit, such a 
 synopsis to be made as my present specimen from the 
 Bishop's Confirmation charge, — not that the synopsis 
 does not give a very good idea of the charge itself, but 
 that I believe the writer of it would be more likely to 
 profit by the very excellent advice it contains, had she 
 been listening to it simply as advice given, rather than as 
 materials for an essay which she was to prepare for me. 
 
 It will, however, serve very well for a specimen, and 
 it is the only one I happen to have by me. The writer 
 was then a pupil-teacher at Westbourne School, and is 
 
 now employed in the school at . I am sure it 
 
 was written by herself, because none of her friends can 
 read or write. 
 
EPISCOPAL CHARGE. 223 
 
 At the time I am speaking of I had not come to the 
 decision which I have now^ respecting the character of 
 sermons fitted for this exercise, and as I was anxious to 
 possess a record of the Bishop^ s exhortation,, which was, 
 as I had heard from others, unusually good and impres- 
 sive, — as indeed it proved to be when I heard it myself 
 at Westbourne, — I called upon five or six of the catechu- 
 mens to make me, each of them, a synopsis of it, and this 
 I preserved because it was the best. I need hardly add 
 that the Bishop is in no way responsible for anything 
 this essay contains ; it is not even a report of it, — it is 
 merely what happened to strike the mind of an auditor. 
 
 The original address was delivered extempore, or at aU 
 events without book or notes ; it was not delivered, as 
 is usual, from the pulpit, but the Bishop advanced from 
 his seat at the altar to the middle of the nave, and, stand- 
 ing on the floor of it, surrounded by the assembled cate- 
 chumens and their friends, addressed his remarks to one 
 or other division of them, young men or young women, 
 or older and more neglected catechumens who had 
 hitherto slighted the ordinance, or sponsors and parents, 
 of whom there were a great many collected, as the va- 
 rious subjects on which he touched seemed to require. 
 
 I have heard a good many charges of one sort or 
 other, but I never heard one that, with so little attempt 
 at oratory, produced so great an effect as the last Con- 
 firmation charge delivered by the Bishop of Chichester 
 in the nave of Westbourne Church, and the reason of 
 this I suspect was its simplicity, its earnestness, and its 
 evident truthfulness. The Bishop felt what he said, 
 and looked as if he felt it. 
 
 I cannot say whether it was the idea of the moment, 
 or whether the Bishop had studied the aesthetic effect, 
 but if he had studied it for half his life, he could not have 
 found a more effective mode of addressing the catechu- 
 mens than that which he adopted. When he left his 
 seat at the altar, and, bidding us not to follow him, stood 
 alone among the people, it was as if the First Priest of 
 the Diocese, divesting himself for the time of his priestly 
 character, and standing among the young of the flock. 
 
224 TEST OF SERMONS. 
 
 as an old man and a father, was advising them, from his 
 own experience on their entrance upon that journey of 
 life, a great portion of which he had himself passed 
 through, — I am sure, from subsequent observations, 
 made to me by my own people, that this was the idea 
 uppermost in their minds. 
 
 The effect of the Bishop^s charge will best be seen by 
 the essay itself. I used always to consider the goodness 
 or badness of these essays a much better criterion of my 
 own sermon and my own preaching, than it was of the 
 attention or inattention of the writers. I used to study 
 these things as critiques upon myself, and I do not hesi- 
 tate to say that I very materially improved the style of 
 my preaching and the character of my sermons by so 
 doing. I learnt from it to preach intelligibly. Now I 
 never had so many good essays as I had on this occa- 
 sion, and I regret that this is the only one I have been 
 able to recover. 1 
 
 The Bishop of Chichester^s Advice. 
 
 Confirmation is a holy rite which was ordained by the 
 Apostles, and sanctioned by the Holy Apostolic Church. 
 We read in the Holy Gospel of S. Luke about the blessed 
 Redeemer laying His hands on the disciples whom He 
 had Himself chosen, and blessing them, but we do not 
 gather any information from that about the holy rite of 
 Confirmation. In the Acts of the Apostles we read of 
 
 1 Anne YoRer, the author of this little treatise, which I retain in my 
 second edition, rather in remembrance of a favourite pupil, than because 
 it does justice either to the subject or to the writer, was the daughter of 
 a shepherd in the parish. She had lost her mother early, and this rather 
 drew my attention to her. When she wrote this she was between four- 
 teen and fifteen years of age, and had just been apprenticed to the school. 
 She became one of my most promising pupils, and when after three years 
 I transferred her to Trowbridge, gained as high a place in the esteem of 
 her employers there as she had obtained in mine. 
 
 Having passed through her examination with credit at the age of nine- 
 teen, she received her appointment as mistress of Codford school, and 
 four months afterwards was brought home to Westboume xa a dying 
 state from the effects of over exertion and a neglected cold. She hes in 
 Westboume churchyard, — the first fruits, I trust, of my little party ia 
 the harvest of God. 
 
SYNOPSIS OF THE BISHOP^S CHARGE. 225 
 
 Philip tlie Deacon converting the people of Samaria, but 
 it was not he who confirmed them, he had not that 
 power, it was the chosen Apostles of the Saviour, Peter 
 and John. We therefore conclude from this, that it is 
 not every one who can confirm, but it must be a person 
 chosen by God, a person of a certain rank or position in 
 the Church. It is a Bishop who holds this high posi- 
 tion, it is no one of an inferior rank who can perform 
 this office. 
 
 Through this holy rite we are enabled to reach the 
 holy table of the Body and Blood of Christ. There are 
 many people who approach that table without first going 
 under the holy rite of Confirmation. No one ought to 
 do so, for we must be strengthened by the Lord Him- 
 self before we go to the Sacrament of His Supper. Con- 
 firmation is a Sacrament of no mean character, though 
 the Church does not place it among the two Sacraments 
 (Baptism and the Lord^s Supper) which are necessary to 
 every man for his own salvation. Where there is no 
 Bishop to confirm, it cannot be done, no one else can do it. 
 
 In Confirmation we renew those promises which our 
 godfathers and godmothers promised for us in our bap- 
 tism. We are now old enough to take the vows upon 
 ourselves. In the end of the service for the public bap- 
 tism of infants, there is an address which the Priest 
 reads to the godfathers and godmothers, exhorting them 
 to bring the charge, which has just been committed to 
 their care, to the Bishop, as soon as he or she can say 
 the Creed, the Lord^s Prayer, and the Ten Command- 
 ments, and be further instructed in the Church Cate- 
 chism, set forth for that purpose. The Church does not 
 say that the child should be brought to the Bishop be- 
 fore it can say the Catechism, but as soon as he can say 
 it. All godfathers and godmothers ought, and are the 
 proper persons to bring the child who is going to be con- 
 firmed to the Bishop. They ought there, in the church, 
 to deliver up their charges in a proper and respectful 
 manner to God. But very few sponsors there are who 
 give themselves this trouble. They think very little 
 about the soul which has been entrusted to their care. 
 
 l3 
 
226 
 
 The next thing to be considered is how a newly-con- 
 firmed Christian should spend the remainder of the day 
 on which he has been confirmed ; it should not be spent 
 in frivolous amusements or in merry making, but it 
 should be spent in prayer to that allwise Creator, in 
 order to secure that Spirit which has just been given to 
 him through the holy rite of Confirmation. He should 
 think seriously of what he has undertaken, he is now 
 responsible to God for his own soul, those sponsors which 
 promised for him (or in his name at baptism) have given 
 him up entirely now. They have no more to do with 
 him after Confirmation. All these things should a 
 newly-confirmed Christian think ov^r, and lay seriously 
 to heart during the remaining part of the day after he 
 has been confirmed. But many there are who go away 
 and do not think any more at all about the vows which 
 they have just renewed. They think that Confirmation 
 is nothing more than merely a form, the outward and 
 visible sign of which is the Bishop^s laying his hand on 
 their head. They do not think about the inward and 
 invisible grace which is showered into their souls. They 
 do not think they get anything by it, whereas they get 
 the help of that Spirit which was so graciously given 
 them in baptism, besides being admitted to the holy 
 table of the Sacrament of the Lord^s Supper, which 
 ought to be considered as a great favour and an especial 
 blessing. Therefore, as I before said, it should be spent 
 in earnest and sincere supplication to God, in order that 
 they keep those baptismal vows which they have just 
 renewed and taken upon themselves. 
 
 The next thing to be considered by a newly- confirmed 
 person, is what sort of companions we should make 
 choice of. We should not choose them for their personal 
 accomplishments or endowments, but according to their 
 virtues, we should ask ourselves whether they are the 
 right persons, and likely to lead us nearer to heaven, or 
 whether they will carry us a step nearer eternal misery. 
 Good companions may and will lead us into the right 
 way to heaven, for many people will hearken to the kind 
 warnings of a friend, even when they will not listen to 
 
227 
 
 any one else. A good companion will lead a person 
 nearer heaven^ while a had companion leads tliem mncli 
 nearer hell. Whatever may be a bad companion's per- 
 sonal endowments, we should not notice them, but we 
 should look on their inward vices before we choose 
 them. If a good person happens to choose bad com- 
 panions, he will gradually lose all those virtues which he 
 once was possessed of, he will degrade himself through 
 those wicked friends, but he wiU not be able to resist 
 their bad temptations. 
 
 It is an easy matter to fall from the right path, but it 
 is difficult to get into the right road when once strayed. 
 Wicked companions will lead a person into all sorts of 
 vices, dishonesty, drunkenness, murder, and all such 
 like things. How careful should we then be in the 
 choice of friends. Friendship is sweet, but it is also 
 deceitful. Many there be who will at first pretend to 
 be what they may call good, and yet be infinitely wicked. 
 They will be ashamed for you to see any of their e\dl 
 and dark deeds at first, but these will gradually appear, 
 and come out, one by one, until they are all, every one, 
 discovered. How careful should we then be in the 
 choice of friends : we should think seriously before we 
 choose them. Many good people have been led from 
 the right way, by the false fiattery of a friend, and 
 many bad persons have also been brought to see and 
 acknowledge their faults through the kind instructions 
 and warnings of a friend. 
 
 Next will be considered the holy rite of matrimony. 
 This ceremony unites man and woman for the rest of 
 life. They are joined together by the Minister, never 
 more to be separated by any one. In this rite many 
 things must be remembered. The husband is bound to 
 love and cherish his wife till death shall sever that bond, 
 and the wife promises to obey her husband. S. Paul 
 says the husband should give honour unto the wife as 
 unto the weaker sex. This holy rite was instituted by 
 God for the happiness of man. Even our Saviour 
 Himself honoured a marriage feast with His own natu- 
 ral appearance. Nevertheless let it alway be consi- 
 
228 SYNOPSIS OF THE 
 
 dered and remembered that the husband is the head of 
 the wife, he is the sole head of the family. His body, 
 strength, and frame give him that title. Let them 
 always consider that they are joined by nothing save 
 the appointed way of God. Let them always think of 
 the promises they made when they were united, and 
 never violate them. Else will they be called to an 
 account for it at the dreadful day of judgment, when 
 the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed. 
 
 The next thing to be borne in mind is the duties of 
 fathers to their children. We say father Sy because 
 mothers in general do their parts towards the child. 
 The father does not seem to take an interest in the 
 education of his own child : all this work generally de- 
 volves on the mother. Still it is the father's duty as 
 well as the mother^ s, to see that his children are pro- 
 perly and well instructed. You may often see a tender 
 mother imparting her knowledge to her youthful chil- 
 dren, while the father takes very little notice whether 
 the child learns anything or not. He does not seem to 
 care, provided he has nothing to do with it. The chil- 
 dren's souls will be required at his hands, and what will 
 be his answer when he will have to appear before that 
 great and terrible God, if he neglects that duty to his 
 children ? 
 
 Lastly, we will consider the invitation to the Lord's 
 table. As soon as any one is confirmed, he should avail 
 himself of the first opportunity to attend to that Divine 
 calling. If we let it alone once we shall twice, and so 
 on till we do not go at all. Should we not then attend 
 to the heavenly invitation of the Redeemer, Who says, 
 '^ Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink 
 His blood, ye have no life in you.'' It is one of the 
 two Sacraments which are generally necessary for the 
 salvation of every sinner. God Himself invites us to 
 the feast, let us not refuse. But if we go without self- 
 examination, without searching our hearts and repent- 
 ing of our sins, we had much better stay away, we only 
 incur damnation to ourselves. If we go to that holy 
 table in faith, believing that we shall be strengthened 
 
THE ESSAY. 329 
 
 by the holy elements, it will be the means of supporting 
 us through this world of sin, if we go often enough, and 
 always with such faith. Let no one ever delay when 
 he is invited to that holy table, lest if he do delay it once 
 or twice, he will never go, and so make himself un- 
 worthy of the redemption of the blessed Savioxjr. 
 
 THE ESSAY. 
 
 Whatever may be said of the Synopsis of Sermons as 
 a profitable exercise, there can be no doubt whatever 
 about the Essay ; the benefit derived from this has no 
 drawback of any kind. The intention of it, of course, is 
 to direct the mind of the catechumen to any point of 
 peculiar importance, or still more to any particular pa- 
 rallelism or train of cause and eifect, which may be 
 suited to his own disposition or the bent of his own 
 thoughts. There is no exercise which will give the 
 Parson so good an insight into the mind of his cate- 
 chumen as this, nor are any observations of his likely 
 to be of more use than his criticisms on the various pas- 
 sages of the composition before him. 
 
 This exercise, however, will never be one of very ge- 
 neral utility, for on trial the Parson will be surprised 
 to find how very few there are, even among those con- 
 sidered well educated, who can express their thoughts 
 in an essay. Many there will always be to master his 
 examination papers, however difficult he makes them, 
 provided they consist of direct questions requiring direct 
 answers ; but to connect these answers into a train of 
 reasoning, or even a lengthened narrative, requires 
 practice, and can be learned in no other way. 
 
 Children are trained in national schools to write 
 essays, and should be in every school. The first step is 
 simple narrative. The lives of patriarchs and apostles, 
 or descriptions of animals and vegetables, or facts of 
 history, written on their slates. This naturally leads, 
 in the higher classes, to the causes and results of the 
 
230 ^ SUBJECTS. 
 
 facts related; wlxich^ as the mind becomes strengthened 
 and capable of reasonings expands into the essay. 
 
 The annexed specimen is the composition of a cate- 
 chumen trained under this system at Westbourne Na- 
 tional School. 
 
 Subjects of Essays adapted for Confirmation, 
 
 Explain S. Peter's character from the instances in 
 S. Matt. xiv. and S. Matt. xxvi. ; willing but failing 
 when put to trial. Compare this with the instances re- 
 corded in Acts iii. State how long an interval of time 
 elapsed between S. Matt. xxvi. and Acts iii._, and what 
 remarkable events happened during that interval. Ac- 
 count for the change in S. Peter^s conduct^ and show in 
 what that change consisted. 
 
 II. 
 
 Explain the parable of the talents, by comparing it 
 first with Exod. xvi. 18, and then with 1 Cor. xii. 
 
 III. 
 
 " Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilder- 
 ness to be tempted of the devil.^' Explain the force of 
 the word ^' then/' by comparing this passage with the 
 preceding chapter. Considering Christ, in His human 
 character, as our example, reconcile by means of this 
 what S. Paul says (Rom. vii.) about his natural corrup- 
 tion, forcing him into sin against his will, with what he 
 says (1 Cor. x.) about God not suffering us to be tempted 
 above that we are able. 
 
 IV. 
 
 Compare the fifth chapter of S. John, where Christ, 
 having strengthened the paralytic man, warns him to sin 
 no more, lest a worse thing come upon him, with the 
 description given by S. Matthew, (xii. 43,) where the 
 devil who has been cast out, finding on his return his 
 
THE ESSAY. 231 
 
 abode swept and garnished, takes to him seven other 
 spirits worse than himself. Apply this warning to the 
 case of a Christian just confirmed. 
 
 Specimen of Essay on the last subject by a 
 Catechumen. 
 
 The pool of Bethesda, the place where Christ per- 
 formed this miracle, is in the first instance a type of 
 baptism. It was the place where God had vouchsafed 
 to heal persons afflicted with any disease, should they 
 wash in those waters after they were touched by a hea- 
 venly messenger, while at baptism a person may be 
 cleansed from his sins by being washed in the waters 
 after they are sanctified by Gon^s heavenly messengers, 
 the priests ; but the same miracle will do equally well in 
 typifying any vehicle through which God pleases to 
 send His grace, and therefore may be applied to Con- 
 firmation. 
 
 The man on whom Christ performed His miracle 
 had been paralysed thirty-eight years, and it appears to 
 have been as a punishment for some sin, that the sick- 
 ness was sent upon him then. Christ, most likely to 
 try the patience of one who had been so long sick, in- 
 quires of him if he will be made whole, and then heals 
 him. 
 
 No person is obliged to enter the Christian covenant ; 
 Christ's Church is open to all, and all are welcome; 
 and when the Christian is admitted, Christ gives His 
 free grace, not for any deservings on his part, that would 
 be rewarding him ; He gives it to him gratuitously. 
 
 But, because it is given freely, it by no means sig- 
 nifies that we are required to do nothing with it after it 
 is given ; we are expected to work with it, and if we 
 neglect this, we are punished for neglecting it. After 
 the paralytic man had been healed^ Christ, although 
 He met him in the temple, (a very proper place for him 
 who had been sick,) did not fail to remind him that should 
 he sin again, a worse thing would come upon him. 
 
232 , CRITICISM. 
 
 Our Saviour had before explained this in His parable 
 of the unclean spirit, who, after he had been once cast 
 out, and a second time found a ready reception for him, 
 the last state of the man in whom he had entered, was 
 worse than the first. This is also, in its first sense, a 
 type of baptism, but might also be applied to other 
 graces. The devil is cast out by the free grace of 
 God, and the man is enabled to work with the grace 
 given him. Before this time his sins were sins of in- 
 firmity ; but now, if his heart is again become wicked, 
 is again swept and garnished for the devil, his sin is 
 seven times worse than it was before, because he has 
 despised the strengthening grace of God, and has sinned 
 now, having the power to do better. He has done just 
 what our Saviour warned the paralytic not to do, — 
 sinned again, and a worse thing is come upon him. 
 
 This is the case with the free grace God gives at Con- 
 firmation. Before a person has been confirmed, and 
 before he has received this grace, he might, as an excuse 
 for doing wrong, plead that he has not strength to do 
 better, — that he has not had power to resist the various 
 temptations to which he was exposed ; but after he has 
 been confirmed, after he has received the grace of God, 
 and then does wrong, his case is like that of the man in 
 whom the unclean spirit was, and the paralytic man, if 
 he sinned again, many times worse than it was before. 
 We know that the grace which God gives at Confirma- 
 tion is sufficient to strengthen us to resist the devil, and 
 to do all which God requires ; for our Saviour says, in 
 so many words, " My grace is sufficient for thee,^^ and 
 S. Paul himself confirms this, by saying, " I can do all 
 things through Christ, which strengtheneth me.^^ 
 
 A. P. 
 
 Observations. 
 
 I. Parson. Sanctified by God^s heavenly messengers, 
 the Priests, is not quite correct. To whom, in the case 
 of the miracle in question, do you compare the Priests ? 
 
 Answer, To the Angel that troubled the waters. 
 
CRITICISM. 233^ 
 
 Parson. Did the Angel himself sanctify the water ? 
 
 Answer. The Holy Ghost, by means of the Angel. 
 
 Parson. Then you should have said, "The Holy 
 Ghost, by the instrumentality of God^s messenger, the 
 Priest." Have we any instance in the Bible of God's 
 Priests being called Angels ? 
 
 Answer. The heads of the seven Churches, in the 
 book of the Revelation, are called Angels by our Sa- 
 viour Himself. 
 
 II. Parson. You say " our Saviour had before ex- 
 plained." Why do you imagine that our Saviour had 
 explained it before P 
 
 Answer. 1 supposed it probable that our Saviour 
 would give the explanation first. 
 
 Parson. I think it by no means unlikely myself, es- 
 pecially as the Gospel of S. John records mostly the 
 events which took place during the latter part of our 
 Saviour's ministry. Still, we must not argue upon 
 probabilities as if they were certainties. One thing, 
 however, is certain, we have both the warning and the 
 explanation, whether the paralytic man had the latter 
 or not ; and consequently we shall be more inexcusable 
 than he, if we do not profit by it. 
 
 III. Parson. You say that " an unconfirmed person 
 may plead that he has not had power to resist the 
 various temptations to which he is exposed.'' Has a 
 child no such power given him ? 
 
 Answer. Yes, at baptism. 
 
 Parson. Then you should have noticed this, and 
 mentioned, that the additional grace of Confirmation is 
 given, in order to enable us to meet the additional tempt- 
 ations to which we are exposed when we grow up and 
 go out into the world. Otherwise you make Confirma- 
 tion a Sacrament equal to that of Baptism. How many 
 Sacraments has Christ ordained in His Church ? 
 
 Answer. Two only, as generally necessary to sal- 
 vation. 
 
 Parson. Does Confirmation answer to that definition ? 
 
 Answer. No, it is not necessary to the salvation of 
 all. Those who die too young to be exposed to the 
 
234 ' CRITICISM* 
 
 temptations of the world do not want it ; therefore it is 
 not generally necessary. 
 
 IV. Parson. To whom does our Saviour say, " My 
 grace is sufficient for thee V 
 
 Answer, To S. Paul. 
 
 Parson. Upon what occasion? 
 
 Answer. When S. Paul said he had some temptations 
 to strive against, which he calls ^^a thorn in the flesh.'' 
 
 Parson. That might be quite right, though most 
 people imagine it a bodily infirmity. Still, a bodily in- 
 firmity is itself a temptation to impatience and fretful- 
 ness, therefore we may say it is quite right. What is 
 our Saviour's reason for refusing to take this tempta- 
 tion away? 
 
 Answer. That His strength was made perfect in 
 weakness. 
 
 Parson. Which means that Christ's strength is 
 more evidently shown forth to the world, when a person 
 naturally weak resists temptation by means of it. 
 
HEADS OF CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTION. 
 
 Each one of the catecMsts should be supplied with 
 two or three of those explanations of the Catechism^ of 
 which so many have been published in the form of ques- 
 tion and answer; — Bather^ s, Sinclair' s^ and Bevan^s are 
 as good as any. Before attempting to catechise, they 
 should be induced to study these diligently, so as not 
 only to make their own the information conveyed_, but 
 to get into the author's style and run of questioning. 
 The Parson also will do well to superintend this in per- 
 son, and in fact, to have a class of catechists pretty well 
 indoctrinated before the general catechising begins. 
 
 But all these books must be considered text-books, 
 not class-books ; they must never be used in the act of 
 catechising. No one will ever become a good catechist 
 who reads his questions instead of asking them, because 
 the very essence of catechising is to catch the idea as it 
 rises in the mind of the catechumen, and to build upon 
 that. It is therefore as impossible to determine before- 
 hand what the questions will be, as to write down be- 
 forehand the observations which a man intends to make 
 in the course of conversation. It is different with the 
 Church Catechism : this is a short summary of the 
 Christian Religion, which is to be impressed on the me- 
 mory ; — in nine cases out of ten it is learned by rote, — 
 in nine cases out of ten it is learned before the child is 
 capable of understanding it ; and it is intended to be so 
 learned, because it forms the foundation for subsequent 
 instruction, — the axioms, as it were, of religion. There 
 is no reason here why the questions should not be put 
 exactly as they are written in the book, because the qua- 
 lity to be exercised in the catechumen here is memory, 
 not understanding. It is the mere sowing of the seed 
 which is afterwards to produce fruit. 
 
236 CATECHISTS SHOULD HAVE SUBJECTS ARRANGED. 
 
 As the child grows up, you want him to understand 
 what he has learnt ; but if you merely read explanatory 
 questions to him from a book, however good those ques- 
 tions may be, they not only become wearisome, but are 
 regarded merely as ^^ cues '' to suggest to the memory 
 following words, instead of questions to elicit from the 
 understanding corresponding thoughts. And, besides 
 this, the perpetual reference to the stereotyped phrases 
 of the book cramps the catechist^s own powers of illus- 
 tration ] he becomes unable to use that which he is 
 never called upon to use, — his own thought and his 
 own understanding. A very inferior amount of expla- 
 nation, made viva voce, and in a conversational form, 
 will fix the meaning of a given passage in the mind 
 of the catechumen far more surely and permanently 
 than the very best that even Sinclair or Bather ever 
 wrote, if given perpetually in Sinclair's or Bather's own 
 words. 
 
 But, on the other hand, few catechists have the subject 
 so completely arranged in their minds as to be able to 
 keep the main thread of the argument before them 
 through all the ramifications of elucidatory questioning 
 and divergent explanation, so as to lead it continually 
 back to the original subject. It is therefore a very use- 
 ful help to the catechists that they should have the 
 heads of their subject drawn out for them in skeleton, 
 with a sketch of the parallelism between the Bible and 
 the Church Catechism to cast their eye upon, so as to 
 bring back their thoughts to the course of the teaching. 
 
 The Parson will find no great difficulty in drawing 
 out such a sketch for his own people, in the way he likes 
 best himself, either from his own memory of the Scrip- 
 tures, or from a Scripture common-place book, or else 
 from a very useful little tract published some time ago 
 by the Christian Knowledge Society, in which the Church 
 Catechism is proved and explained from Scripture. 
 
 The following, which is a little enlarged and altered 
 from one published originally by Burns, and which I 
 conclude is now out of print, will do as well as any 
 other ; but the fact is, that the number of texts support- 
 
THE CHURCH CATECHISM ARRANGED. 
 
 237 
 
 ing eacli dogma of the Catechism is so great, that these 
 arrangements may be varied infinitely,, and the Parson, 
 knowing what is wanted in his own parish, will always 
 make out a better and more suitable arrangement for 
 himself than he can get in any book whatever. 
 
 I. The Nattjeal State oe all Men. 
 n. The Cheistlin" State. 
 
 1. Its privileges. 
 
 2. Admission into it. 
 
 3. Continuance in it. 
 
 4. Its obligations. 
 
 1. Repentance^ 
 
 or 
 Renunciation 
 of . . 
 
 2. Faith, 
 
 or 
 Belief in 
 
 3. Obedience 
 
 III. 
 
 The CHEiSTLLtT Peiyi 
 
 LEGES . . . 
 
 :i 
 
 1. The devil. 
 
 2. Tlie world. 
 ^3. The flesh. 
 
 f 1. G-OD the Fathee. 
 J 2. God the Sojf. 
 j 3. God the Holt 
 L Ghost. 
 
 fl. Duty towards God | ^ ^^'^ ^^^ , 
 j •' t Commandments 
 
 I 2. Duty towards my J Last Six 
 
 L neighbour . . \ Commandments. 
 
 I 2. Means of grace^ 
 through the Sa- }• 
 craments . . .J 
 
 f^An inheritor of 
 
 A member of 
 Cheist. 
 
 L 
 
 3. The great object of 
 a Christian's life 
 
 the kingdom 
 of Heaven. 
 
 I. The Natueal State of at.t, men. 
 
 1. AH subject to death | ^^^^ ^ ^^ 
 bv sm J 
 
 2. The wrath of God~1 
 
 the penalty of dis- f'Col. iii. 6. 
 obedience . . .J 
 
 3. All by nature child- 
 ren of wrath 
 
 e child- 1 -c , 
 
 ii. 1—3. 
 
 ^ CHTJECH CATECHISM. 
 
 y Being by nature bom 
 I in sin, and the children 
 J of wrath. 
 
 II. The Cheistian State. 
 
 1. Its privileges. 
 
 1. Member of lin ••n-ir, 
 Cheist . . ^ 1 1 Cor. xu. 12, 13. 
 
 2. Child of God . Gal. iii. 26, 27. 
 
 3. Inheritor of the 1 -r, ••• t-? i*, 
 kingdom of heaven j^°^' ^' ^^^ ^^' 
 
 \ Whereia (viz. in Bap- 
 tism) I was made a mem- 
 \ ber of Cheist, a child of 
 God, and an inheritor of 
 
 ^the kingdom of heaven. 
 
238 
 
 THE CHURCH CATECHISM ARRANGED. 
 
 2. Admission into it . Col. i. 12-18. 
 
 rl Cor. X. 2. 
 
 Acts xix. 26. 
 j S. John iii. 5. 
 
 S. Mark i. 8. 
 
 Eom. vi. 6, 7. 
 
 Eom. vi. 11. 
 3. Baptism . . . .<( 1 S. Pet. ii. 24. 
 
 Ps. V. 5. 
 
 Eph. ii. 3. 
 
 2 Thess. ii. 16. 
 .1 S. Pet. ii. 7. 
 
 4. Continuance in Me Ig 
 »fl?»e J ' 
 
 5. //* obligations. 
 
 John XV. 1-8. 
 
 1. Eepentance 
 
 ("Actsii. 37,38. 
 L S. Luke iii. 7, 8. 
 
 or f l.The devU fS. Matt. xxv. 41. 
 Eenun- -^ 2.The world -^ S. James iv. 4. 
 ciationof L3.The flesh Lli^m' viii' 12-14. 
 
 2. Faith . 
 
 THeb. xi. 6. 
 * LActsviii. 36, 37. 
 
 or 
 Behef<( 
 
 '^^■}Eph.i. 2, 3. 
 
 l.GoDtheFA- 
 
 THEE 
 
 Maker of^ 
 
 heaven and ^Acts iv. 24-27. 
 earth . .J 
 2.aoDtheSoN S. John i. 1, 14. 
 REDEEiirrEE Gal. iv. 4, 5. 
 
 Eansomer 
 ofMankind 
 3. God the 
 
 2 Cor. V. 14. 
 
 God the 1 . , , . 
 
 Holt Ghost ;^^*^^-l-^- 
 
 Sanctifier "1 i « t> t • o 
 oftheefee^}lS.Pet.i.2. 
 
 I heartily thank our 
 
 heavenly Fatheb that He 
 
 hath called me to this state 
 
 of salvation, through Je- 
 
 ^srs Cheist our Saviotte. 
 
 The outward visible sign. 
 
 The inward 
 
 ( 
 
 J jLx±c xxivYai.vA spiritual 
 j grace. 
 
 A death unto sin. 
 J" A new birth unto righ- 
 \ teousness. 
 
 J Being by nature bom in 
 Lsin : 
 
 / And the children of 
 I wrath : 
 
 1 We are hereby made the 
 /children of grace. 
 
 And I pray unto GoD 
 to give me His grace, that 
 I may continue in the 
 ^same unto my life's end. 
 What is required of per- 
 sons to be baptized ? Re- 
 pentance, whereby they 
 forsake sin. 
 
 Why then are infants 
 baptized ? &c. Because 
 they promised them both, 
 .viz. repentance and faith. 
 ■ What did your god- 
 fathers and godmothers 
 then for you? They did 
 "( promise and vow three 
 things in my name. 1. 
 That I should renounce 
 .the devil, &c. 
 r 2. That I should be- 
 I Heve, &G. 
 
 <( Faith, whereby we stead- 
 I fastly beUeve the promises 
 Lof God. 
 
 1st, I learn to beHeve in 
 I God the Fathee, Who 
 I hath made me and all the 
 
 world. 
 
 2nd, In GoD the Son, 
 Who hath redeemed me 
 and all mankind. 
 
 f 3rd, In God the Holt 
 J Ghost, Who sanctifieth 
 f me and all the elect people 
 Lof God. 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
THE CHURCH CATECHISM ARRANGED. 
 
 239 
 
 3. Obedience . , . S.Matt.xxii. 37-40. -{ 
 
 f 3. That I should keep 
 j God's Holy WiU and 
 - Cormnandments, &c. 
 
 1. Duty 
 
 to- 
 wards 
 G-OD. 
 
 2. Duty 
 to- 
 wards 
 my 
 neigh- 
 bour. 
 
 rFirst Com 
 mandment 
 
 Second Com- 
 mandment , 
 
 Third Com- 
 mandment , 
 
 Fourth Com' 
 mandment , 
 
 rFifth Com- 
 mandment . 
 
 Sixth Com- 
 mandment . 
 
 Seventh Com- 
 mandment . 
 
 Eighth Com 
 mandment 
 
 Ninth Com 
 mandment 
 
 Tenth Com 
 w mandment 
 
 .f 
 
 S. Mark xii. 29, 30. 
 
 S. John xir. 23. 
 1 Ephes. V.5. 
 LS. Matt. vi. 24 
 fDeut. iv. 15-18. 
 j Acts xvii. 29, 30. 
 j S. John iv. 24. 
 LPs. xcv. 6. 
 fLevit. xix. 12. 
 J 1 Kings viii. 28, 29. 
 ] Eccles. V. 1. 
 LPhiHp. ii. 9, 10. 
 rGen. ii. 3. 
 I S. John XX. 19. 
 ^ Eev. i. 10. 
 
 I Acts XX. 7. 
 
 II Cor. xvi. 1, 2. 
 
 "Ephes. vi. 1-3. 
 1 Tim. V. 4. 
 
 I What dost thou chiefly 
 1 learn from these Com- 
 Lmandments ? 
 
 What is thy duty to- 
 • wards God? My duty 
 towards God is, &c. 
 
 1 S. Pet. ii. 13, 14, 
 
 /To love, honour, and 
 succour my father and 
 Lmother. 
 
 / To honour and obey 
 L the queen, and aU, &c. 
 
 1 Thess. V. 12, 13. 
 Col. iii. 22. 
 
 \: 
 
 J To order myself lowly, 
 
 To submit myself to 
 all my governors, teach- 
 ers, spiritual pastors and 
 i.masters. 
 Levit. xix. 32. 
 PhiHp. ii. 3. \ &c. 
 
 ^S, Matt. V. 21, 22. ^ .To hurt nobody by 
 (Marg. reading.) 1 word or deed, to bear no 
 Ephes. iv. 31. i mahce nor hatred in my 
 
 1 S. John iii. 15. J heart. 
 rS. Matt. V. 27-29. ^ m v i, j • 
 
 (Marg. reading.) L ^° ^^^ ^^ ^^^ "^ 
 Ephes. V. 3-5. ^^^temperance, soberness, 
 lTim.ii.9,10. J and chastity. 
 
 r To keep my hands from 
 1 picking and stealing, 
 f To keep my tongue 
 «( from evil-speaking, ly- 
 L.ing, and slandering. 
 Not to covet nor de- 
 sire other men's goods ; 
 but to learn, &c. 
 
 - r 1 Thess. iv. 6 
 . I Ephes. iv. 28. 
 
 - r S. James iv. 11. 
 . 1 Ephes. iv. 25. 
 
 - f Heb. xiii. 5. 
 . LlTim. vi. 6-10. 
 
 V.1 
 
240 
 
 THE CHURCH CATECHISM ARRANGED. 
 
 ni. The Cheistian Peivileges. 
 
 First Privilege. — The 
 privilege of prayer. 
 
 1. Man's weakness . Eom. vii. 18, 19. 
 
 2. Sufficiency of r>i- "I pi^i. j^. 13. 
 vuie grace . . .J 
 
 3. Prayer a means of 1 g^ j^^^ ^. ^^.^3 
 obtaming it . . .J 
 
 4. The Loed's prayer S. Matt. vi. 9-18. 
 
 1. Our Fathee 1 -d ••• -ia -IK 
 Txri • 1 . • LEom. vui. 14, 15. 
 WTiich. art ui f-ir i^ „ o 
 
 , iLccles. T. 2. 
 
 heaven ... .J 
 
 2. Hallowed be Thy J 4thCommandment. 
 Kame . . . .[IS. Pet. i. 15, 16. 
 
 fHeb. i. 8. 
 
 3. Thy kingdom J Rom. xiv. 17. 
 come . . . . j Per. xi. 15. 
 
 LS. Matt. XXV. 34. 
 
 4. Thy will be done f S. Matt, xviii. 10. 
 in earth as it is-< Ps. ciii. 20, 21. 
 in heaven . . . LS. Matt. vii. 21. 
 
 5. Give us this day 1 S. Matt. vi. 31-33. 
 our daily bread . / 2 Thess. iii. 10-12, 
 
 6. And forgive us"^ 
 our trespasses, as 
 
 we forgive them ^S.Matt.xviii. 21-35 
 that trespass I 
 against us . .J 
 », T J i. • 4. fS. James i. 13, 14. 
 
 7. Lead us not mto I c-en.xxii. 1,2, 9-12 
 temptation . O 1 Cor. x. 12, 13. 
 
 f My good child, know 
 this, that thou art not able 
 to do tnese things of thy- 
 self, nor to walk in the 
 Commandments of GrOD 
 and to serve Him without 
 His special grace, which 
 thou must learn at all 
 times to call for by dili- 
 
 l gent prayer. 
 
 The Loed's prayer. 
 I desire my Loed God 
 our Heavenly Fathee, 
 Who is the Giver of all 
 
 t goodness, to send His 
 
 I grace unto me, and to all 
 people. 
 
 That we may worship 
 rHim, serve Him, and obey 
 Him, as we ought to do. 
 
 8. But dehver us f Eom. xvi. 20. 
 from evU . . .12 Tim. iv. 18. 
 
 9. Amen 
 
 1 Cor. xiv. 15-17. 
 
 f That He will send us all 
 "I things that be needful both 
 Lfor our souls and bodies. 
 
 r That He will be merciful 
 . "s unto us, and forgive us our 
 Lsias. 
 
 That it will please Him 
 , to save and defend us in aU 
 I dangers ghostly and bodily. 
 And that He will keep 
 us from all sin and wicked- 
 ness, and from our ghostly 
 enemy, and from everlast- 
 ing death. 
 
 And this I trust He will 
 do of His mercy and good- 
 -{ ness, through our LoED 
 " Jesus Cheist. And there- 
 fore I say, Amen, So be it. 
 
THE CHURCH CATECHISM ARRANGED. 
 
 241 
 
 Second Privilege. — The privilege of grace 
 through the ordinances of Cheist. 
 
 The Lord's Supper : 
 
 1. Eemembrance . 1 Cor. xi, 24. 
 
 2. Benefits. 
 
 In this world . S. John ri. 56, 57. 
 In the world tolg j^^ • ^ 
 come ... J 
 
 Outward sign . S. Matt, xxvi. 26. 
 
 Inward part o^T ^^^ ^ .^^^ 
 thing signined J 
 
 The nature oHhe ^^^"^^^^^^ 25. 
 benefits. . .[g. John vi. 48-50. 
 
 Third Privilege. — The privilege of the In- 
 heritance of the kingdom of heaven. 
 
 The LoED's Supper a1 g^ j^j^ ^.^ ^^^ 
 
 type of it. J 
 
 Preparation for the 
 Holy Communion 
 is the preparation 
 for entering on our 
 inheritance. 
 
 2 Cor. xiii. 5. 
 1 Cor. xi. 28. 
 
 1. SeK-examination 
 
 2. Repentance . 
 
 3. Amendment . 
 
 4. A lively faith 
 
 5. Thankfuhiess 
 
 6. Charity . . 
 
 Eom. ii. 4, 5. 
 S. Luke XV. 24. 
 r Heb. xi. 6. 
 \ S. James ii. 17. 
 S. Luke xxii. 19. 
 Matt. V. 23, 24. 
 Cor. X. 17. 
 
 r For a continual remem- 
 -{ brance of the sacrifice of 
 Lthe death of Cheist. 
 
 J And ofthe benefits which 
 1 we receive thereby. 
 
 (Bread and wine, which 
 theLoED hath commanded 
 l^to be received. 
 r The Body and Blood of 
 Cheist, which are verily 
 and indeed taken and re- 
 ceived by the faithful in 
 l^the Loed's Supper. 
 f The strengthening and 
 I refreshing of our souls by 
 <j the Body and Blood of 
 I Cheist, as our bodies are 
 Lby the Bread and Wine. 
 
 ■{I 
 
 r To examine ourselves 
 whether we repent us truly 
 of our former sins, stead- 
 fastly purposing to lead a 
 new hfe, have a hvely faith 
 in GtOd's mercy through 
 Cheist, with a thankM 
 remembrance of His death, 
 and be in charity with all 
 
 Lmen. 
 
 PRAYEE. 
 
 O Loed, Heavenly Fathee, Almighty and Everlasting GrOD, Wlio of 
 Thine infinite goodness towards me, when I was born in sin and a child 
 of wrath, didst vouchsafe to make me a member of Cheist, and an heir 
 of eternal life ; I most heartily thank Thee for calling me to this state of 
 salvation, and for bestowing upon me such great and precious privileges. 
 
 M 
 
242 PRAYER. 
 
 Make me ever mmdfiil of the strict account I shall have to give, at the 
 judgment-seat of Cheist, of the way in which I fulfil the solemn vows 
 and promises made in my name at my Baptism ; and I most hvunbly 
 beseech Thee of Thy great mercy, to pardon aU my past breaches of the 
 same, and to endue me with the assistance of Thy Holy Spieit, that I 
 may continue steadfast in Thy faith and fear, and improve all those 
 helps to true piety, aU those means of grace and edification, which Thou 
 hast appointed in Thy Holy Church ; that I may henceforth walk in 
 newness of hfe, worthy of that blessed state whereunto Thou hast called 
 me ; so that, keeping myself unspotted from the world, the flesh, and 
 the devil, I may at length attain Thy heavenly promises, through the 
 merits of Cheist jEsrs, my Sayioue, to Whom, with Thee and the 
 Holy G-host, be all glory and honour, for ever and ever. Amen. 
 
CHUECH MUSIC AND HYMNODY. 
 
 It may seem singular to speak of Churcli Music as a 
 means of religious teaching, but in practice it will be 
 found that there is none so efficacious. We must not 
 forget, as we are very apt to do, that in all such teaching 
 there are two elements. If we were satisfied with 
 placing instruction before the eye and the understanding 
 of the learner, we should be doing but very little of our 
 duty. Our object is to convey it to his heart, to make 
 it part of his thoughts and of himself. No Christian 
 should ever be able to remember the time when he first 
 became acquainted with such and such Christian truths, 
 any more than he can tell when he first found out that 
 the grass was green and the sky blue ; the truths should 
 have been already placed before him, so that his facul- 
 ties may lay hold of them by degrees, as by degrees 
 they became capable of doing so. That which is ac- 
 quired by the understanding is retained by the under- 
 standing ; it is therefore liable at any time to be ob- 
 scured or overwhelmed by sophistry. A reasoner may 
 at any time of his life be defeated, and, if defeated, 
 convinced, by a reasoner more subtle than himself, while 
 the truth all the time lies on his own side. That which 
 has been imbibed imperceptibly and without efibrt be- 
 comes part of a man^s nature and constitution, — it is 
 interwoven with his daily habits, and feelings, and 
 modes of life. It is not indeed altogether impervious 
 to reason ; if it were, there would be no such thing in 
 the world as a convert ; but it is altogether impervious 
 to sophistry, because it requires not only reason, but a 
 course of reasoning, a new series of feelings, a new cast 
 of thought, to overcome it. It is just what religious 
 
 M 2 
 
244 THE LOSS OF ENGLISH CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 conviction ought to be — prejudice^ based upon truth 
 and defended by reason. 
 
 For implanting in the mind such feelings as this, music 
 is a most powerful auxiliary. There was a great deal of 
 sound philosophy as well as deep knowledge of human 
 nature in him who said_, " Let me make the ballads of a 
 country,, let who will make its laws." This is true in 
 all cases, but most especially is it true with the young 
 and with the uneducated. It is a very singular thing 
 that it should be popularly imagined, as I believe it is, 
 that the English are physically incapable of either pro- 
 ducing good music or of appreciating it, when, no longer 
 ago than the days of the Tudors, England was quite as 
 eminent for its religious music as Germany is now; 
 and, indeed, there is every reason why we should be a 
 musical nation, proceeding, as we do, from the same Saxon 
 stock as that of the most musical nation in the world. 
 
 The neglect of this most powerful instrument of reli- 
 gion — a neglect involving almost the loss of the talent 
 — may be traced to the times of the Puritans, who de- 
 nounced not only Church music, but music of every 
 sort, to such an extent,^ that at the Restoration it was 
 found that the very art itself was forgotten. It was 
 absolutely necessary to send the choristers of the King^s 
 chapel to Paris for instruction, there being no one in 
 England capable of teaching them. It is to this that 
 we owe the loss of our parish choirs. The art had been 
 put down by violence. The habit had been lost, and it 
 was to be regained only by expense and trouble ; this 
 none but wealthy establishments were able to afford ; 
 and thus it came to pass, that when the custom of read- 
 ing the service began to be substituted for the ancient 
 plain song of the English Church, it readily took root, 
 being, in truth, a very great improvement upon the 
 wretched mode of drawling the service into which the 
 plain song had by that time degenerated. 
 
 It is a singular coincidence that the English Church 
 should happen to possess no hymnarium, or authorised 
 
 1 " The bigots of that iron time, 
 
 Had called his harmless art a crime." — Scott. 
 
THE ANCIENT HYMNS. 245 
 
 collection of liymiis ; liad there been anytliing of tlie 
 sort_, the science of Church music never could have 
 fallen into such utter disuse. Had hymns appropriated 
 to the seasons been part of the actual service of the 
 Churchj means must have been provided for singing 
 them ; to read a psalm^ that is to say, to read a compo- 
 sition expressly intended for singings is absurd^ — to read 
 a metrical hymn would be so absurd as to be impossible. 
 
 And the coincidence is purely accidental. It was no 
 more the intention of the Reformers to omit the metri- 
 cal part of the ancient services,, than it was their inten- 
 tion to omit any other part that was sound. "Our 
 Common Prayer Book/^ says Bishop Mant^ " derives a 
 great portion of its contents [he might have said almost 
 all its contents] from the Breviary or daily service-book 
 of the Bomish Churchy purified from corruption and 
 reduced to the standard of the Holy Scripture as pro- 
 fessed by the Catholic Church of Christ. Together 
 with its other provisions^ this Breviary contains a consi- 
 derable number of hymns used in the regular course of 
 its daily, weekly, and occasional services.''^ 
 
 These it was by no means the intention of the Be- 
 formers to omit, for many of them were, as Bishop 
 Mant observes, " altogether scriptural and unexception- 
 able,^^ but they could find no competent persons to 
 undertake the translation. Cranmer, indeed, did attempt 
 it himself, but he was so dissatisfied with his own poeti- 
 cal efibrts, that, after a fruitless trial with the hymn, 
 " Salve festa dies,-'^ he wrote to the King, requesting 
 him that, " as his English verses wanted the grace and 
 faculty which he could wish they had, his Majesty 
 would cause some other to do them in more pleasant 
 English and phrase.''^ 
 
 It would seem that no such person could be found, 
 for the hymn of Charlemagne in the Ordination Service 
 is the only metrical composition of which we have any 
 authorised version ; and thus the whole of that portion 
 of Divine worship fell into abeyance in the English 
 Church. But, authorised or not, psalms and hymns 
 the people wiU have, and ought by right to have, — and 
 
246 SINGING SHOULD BE CONGREGATIONAL. 
 
 hence tlie interminable multiplicity of liymns^ many of 
 them utterly unsound,, with which the Church is deluged. 
 
 The fact is^ that the Psalm tune has been so vulgarised 
 by Dissenters^ and so secularised by certain members 
 of our own Church, while the hymns themselves have 
 been so interpolated, corrupted, and misused, that we 
 have forgotten what Church music and Church poetry 
 is capable of effecting. Had it not been for the magni- 
 ficent collection of the hymns of Germany, and the Bede 
 Psalmer of Sweden, both those Protestant bodies would 
 long ago have forgotten what the doctrines of Chris- 
 tianity are, so far at least as their uneducated classes 
 are concerned. 
 
 England possesses what Protestant Germany does not, 
 — a very perfect and very orthodox Liturgy ; and what 
 Sweden does not, — a body of ecclesiastics not utterly 
 disproportioned in point of numbers to the wants of the 
 people ; that, therefore, which in those countries would 
 amount very nearly to the loss of all knowledge of 
 Christianity, is to us no more than a very serious incon- 
 venience. But a very serious inconvenience it is, and 
 we must remedy it as best we may. 
 
 But in this we have two difficulties to surmount : we 
 have not only to restore to the people the love as well 
 as the knowledge of music which they once possessed, 
 but we have to provide them materials also. 
 
 With respect to the first, it has always struck me that 
 we have not yet learnt to make our singing congrega- 
 tional. In those churches even where choral service 
 has been restored, we are satisfied with having a choir 
 — more or less good, according to circumstances, — but 
 we have not entirely lost the old associations of our 
 youth, and are still content that our congregation should 
 be auditors ; it is far better, no doubt, that they should 
 be auditors of the choir, than merely auditors of the 
 parish clerk, but our object is that they should be wor- 
 shippers. 
 
 It is far better, in a country church, — and I suspect 
 strongly in a town church also, — that there should be a 
 choral service without a choir ; let the whole Church 
 
ADVANTAGES OF THE GREGORIAN TONES. 247 
 
 school be instructed in the choral music, as part of the 
 regular education of the school; establish singing 
 classes for grown-up people^ in order to qualify them 
 for doing their duty in church ; let singing be a princi- 
 pal part of the Sunday-school instruction^ and catechis- 
 ing on the hymn or anthem a regular Sunday lesson ; 
 throw open the choir to all who qualify themselves for 
 serving in it ; do not be too particular about any other 
 qualifications than those of character and willingness; 
 and then Church music, notwithstanding its long dis- 
 use, will stand some chance of becoming once more 
 congregational. 
 
 But this implies daily service ; it is impossible to 
 have a choral congregation without it. The Sunday 
 Psalms will not become familiar to them, so that they 
 can strike off at once into the accustomed chants, un- 
 less those Sunday Psalms have been Daily Psalms also. 
 
 My own habit has been on week-days, to begin my 
 part of the service in the usual tone, without consider- 
 ing or appearing to notice whether there are many or 
 few in the Church, or whether those few can or cannot 
 perform their part well in it. I thereby lead my httle 
 congregation to understand that their duty is to worship 
 aloud, and that the quality of voice, and the perfection 
 of singing, has nothing to do with the acceptableness of 
 the service. Those who are in the Church feel that 
 they must attempt it, and attempting it, find that they 
 can perform it. I will not take upon me to say that 
 such a service is always very harmonious, but I will take 
 upon me to say that such a ser^dce makes singing con- 
 gregational, and that it induces people, children espe- 
 cially, to come to Church. At all events, this plan has 
 stood the test of experience. The choir of Westbourne 
 are, in the strictest sense of the word, volunteers ; it is 
 now eight years since I began choral service, and during 
 that time it has never happened that the service has not 
 been chanted from want of a choir. 
 
 It would no doubt be impossible to do this with the 
 modern cathedral chant, which requires its full choir and 
 its organ, and sounds poor and jejune if deprived of 
 
248 METHOD OF TEACHING THEM. 
 
 any of its four parts. The Gregorian music wants no 
 organ^ it is improved, no doubt_, by being harmonised 
 for four voices^ but it does not require it, it was not 
 written for it, and as the music follows the sense, in- 
 stead of the ordinary cathedral practice of making the 
 sense subservient to the music, every one can hear and 
 understand it. 
 
 There may perhaps be some little difficulty in teaching 
 Gregorian music, because those tones are merely musical 
 reading, and it is therefore absolutely necessary that 
 the singer be taught to read before he attempts to sing, 
 which is not so indispensable in the modern chant, 
 where the measured music not only covers the defects 
 of the reading, but produces defects of its own; to 
 teach singing only may possibly be easier than to teach 
 reading and singing too ; but to teach the mere notes, 
 or to teach the tones to those who are already capable 
 of reading and understanding what they read, is a 
 matter of no difficulty whatever, if people are contented 
 with slow progress ; progress must always be slow where 
 there is a good deal to be taught, and to gabble or sleep 
 over a Gregorian tone, as is done in cathedrals over 
 their chant, would be absolutely intolerable. 
 
 The only way of teaching it to such a class of half- 
 educated people, as we generally meet with, is, first, to 
 read the whole psalm yourself, emphasizing it carefully. 
 Then to explain it, so that the class feel and appreciate 
 what they are going to sing. Then to make them read 
 it, seeing that they attend to the pauses and emphatic 
 words. When they are able to do this, sound the recit- 
 ing note with a pitch pipe, and let them read it on that, 
 still preserving their pauses and emphases, and, after- 
 that, it is very easy to add the mediation and cadence. 
 I do not think the organ should be used at all ; it may 
 be a very efi'ective addition after the psalm is learnt, 
 but, if used before, it teaches the choir to pay more 
 attention to the music than to the sense; in fact, to 
 sing as they do in cathedrals. ^ 
 
 1 The observation made bj my choir when I took them for the first 
 time to Chichester Cathedral, " that it was very pretty music, but that 
 
THE SELECTION OF HYMNS. 249 
 
 There is no reason why, in admiring the Gregorian 
 music, we should despise, as some do, the modern chants, 
 many of which are very beautiful, and very ecclesiastic 
 in their character. There is room enough in the service 
 for both. As the recitative of the Gregorian is best 
 adapted for the unmeasured verse of the psalms, so the 
 measured music of the modern chant is best adapted to 
 metre. All the good modern chants make admirable 
 hymn tunes, and are more easily learned than any sort 
 of psalm or hymn tune whatever. 
 
 But a more difficult and a more responsible duty is 
 the selection of hymns to be sung to them. Bishop 
 Mant, in the preface to his own translation of the an- 
 cient Church Hymns, says, that he has translated them 
 for family devotion, as he did not ^' presume to offer any 
 materials for public worship, because he knows of no 
 consideration which will justify the act or sanction of an 
 individual in contributing to the introduction of forms 
 of singing, any more than forms of praying, into our 
 churches, without legal sanction.^-' 
 
 It appears to me that this is over-scrupulousness in 
 the Bishop, as it certainly is inconsistency. He felt no 
 difficulty in sanctioning the use of the Metrical Psalms 
 in his diocese, which, composed like his own hymns, 
 originally for private worship, without half the merit of 
 his own, and without any more authority, have found a 
 place in our Prayer Books, in the absolute dearth of 
 anything better. 
 
 But, in truth, when the Church does actually possess 
 hymns, when the only reason why these hymns were not 
 authorised in the English branch of it, was the incapa- 
 
 the clioristers seemed half asleep" — or of one of them, who on his return 
 from London, informed me that " at Westminster Abbey they did not 
 sing nearly so badly as they did at S. Paul's " wiU. convey, as well as any- 
 thing can, the idea that must strike the mind of those who, having been 
 accustomed to Grregorian recitative, hear, for the first time, the Psalms 
 strained and twisted into musical measures. The country chorister 
 might be a very indifferent judge of music, but he could feel that the 
 sense was sacrificed to the sound. Of course I am not here speaking of 
 that most objectionable and uTeverent of all chants, the syllabic adapta- 
 tion of Grregorian music — the most wanton sacrifice of sense to sound 
 that ever was invented. 
 
 M 3 
 
250 THE SELECTION OF HYMNS. 
 
 city of the Reformers to translate tliem_, wlien the want 
 of an authorised version is universally felt and acknow- 
 ledged^ and when the only legal authority which could 
 by any possibility sanction them is in abeyance^ we are 
 fully justified in doing what is right in our own eyes^ to 
 the same extent as the Israelites were in the days of the 
 Judges_, and for the very same reason. The Church has 
 a recognised place for the Anthem,, in quires and places 
 where they sing, but not having designated what that 
 anthem shall be, she has left it to us to make the selec- 
 tion. A Bishop has a perfect right to object to this or 
 that hymn, just as he has a perfect right to object to this 
 or that sermon; but he has no more right to object to 
 the practice of singing hymns, when the Church has 
 provided a place in the service for such compositions, 
 than he has to object to the practice of preaching ser- 
 mons, which are sanctioned by the Church in precisely 
 the same manner. 
 
 I have myself never scrupled to use any hymn that I 
 considered orthodox and appropriate. If I am not to 
 be trusted in collecting and adapting hymns, I am not 
 to be trusted in composing and preaching sermons — in 
 fact, I do collect them w^herever I can find them. I 
 select those for particular seasons which illustrate best 
 the doctrine of that season. These I make my catechu- 
 mens commit to memory. Learning poetry is in itself 
 a good exercise for the young, and doctrines are more 
 firmly impressed on the mind in this way than in any 
 other. Some of the hymns thus selected are suited to 
 public worship, some for school or family use, some for 
 private edification — and I have no hesitation in putting 
 all that I select to the uses for which they seem best 
 designed. I ofi'er here a few, which I have brought to- 
 gether from different authors and translators, as they 
 appear to me well adapted to the use of catechumens 
 preparing for Confirmation. In many cases I do not 
 know who are the authors or translators — if I did, I 
 should have to apologise to them all, for alterations, 
 adaptations, erasures^ and additions which I have made 
 at pleasure. 
 
HYMNS FOR CONFIRMATION. 251 
 
 I. — On the Announcement of Confirmation. 
 
 Creator Alme Siderum, 
 
 Creator of the starry height, 
 Of hearts believing endless light, 
 Jestt, E-edeemer, bow Thine ear, 
 Thy suppliants' vows in pity hear. 
 
 Who, lest the earth through evil eye 
 Of treacherous fiend should waste and die, 
 With mighty love instinct, wert made 
 The expiring world's all-healing aid. 
 
 Who to the Cross that world to win, 
 . Prom common stain of common sin, 
 From Virgin shrine, a Yirgin Birth, 
 A spotless Victim issuest forth. 
 
 At vision of Whose glory bright, 
 At mention of Whose Name of might. 
 Angels on high and fiends below, 
 In rev'rence or in trenabling bow. 
 
 Almighty Judge, to Thee we pray, 
 G-reat Umpire of the Tast dread day ; 
 Protect us through the unearthly fight, 
 With armour of celestial light. 
 
 To GrOD the Father, and the Soif, 
 And Holt Ghost all praise be done, 
 All honour, might, and glory be, 
 Through all the long eternity. 
 
 11. — While Preparing for Confirmation. 
 
 HYMN TO THE HOLT SPIRIT. 
 
 Creator Spirit, by Whose aid 
 The world's foundations first were laid, 
 Come, visit every humble mind. 
 And pour Thy joys on all mankind ; 
 Prom sin and sorrow set us free, 
 And make us temples meet for Thee. 
 
252 HYMNS FOR CONriRMATION. 
 
 Thrice holy Fount ! thrice holy Pire ! 
 Our hearts with holy love inspire, 
 Our frailty help, our vice control, 
 And calm the passions of the soul ; 
 Come, and Thy sacred unction bring, 
 To sanctify us while we sing. 
 
 Immortal honour, endless fame. 
 
 Attend the Almighty Tathek's Name 
 
 Let God the Sox be glorified, 
 
 "Who for the world's redemption died, 
 
 And equal adoration be, 
 
 Blessed Comforter, to Thee. 
 
 Veni, Sancte Spiritus. 
 
 Holt Spieit from on high. 
 Come, and from the op'ning sky. 
 
 Shed Thy ray of heavenly light ; 
 Come, kind Eathee of the poor. 
 Come, with all Thy bounteous store, 
 
 Come, of hearts the Inmate bright. 
 
 Sweetest Comforter and best. 
 Of the soul most welcome Guest, 
 
 Presence calm in fev'rish day ; 
 In all toil Eefreshment sweet, 
 Cooling Breath 'mid noontide heat, 
 
 God, that wipest all tears away. 
 
 Light most Holy, most Divine, 
 In our inmost bosoms shine, 
 
 Pill Thine own with Thy true Grace 
 Por without Thy hallowing Plame, 
 Nought in man is free from blame, 
 
 Nought in all this sinful race. 
 
 "Wash whate'er of stain is here. 
 Sprinkle what is dry or sear. 
 
 And the spirit bind and heal ; 
 Bend whate'er is stubborn still. 
 Kindle what is cold and chill. 
 
 What is true and faithful seal. 
 
HYMNS FOR CONFIRMATION. 253 
 
 Oh, to every faithful heart, 
 LoED, Thy sevenfold gifts impart, 
 
 That Thine own in Thee may live ; 
 Give the meed Thy grace hath won. 
 Crown the work Thyself hast done, 
 
 Everlasting gladness give. 
 Amen. 
 
 HELP OF THE HOLT GHOST. 
 
 Spirit of Truth and Love, 
 Life-giving Holy Dove, 
 
 Speed forth Thy flight ; 
 Move on the water's face 
 Bearing the lamp of grace, 
 And in earth's darkest place 
 
 " Let there be light." 
 
 Haste, hallow' d Paraclete, 
 TJs with Thy glory greet. 
 
 Wisdom and might ; 
 Bless the pure fontal wave, 
 iNerve us the foe to brave. 
 And through the shadowy grave 
 
 " Let there be light." 
 
 Hallelujah. 
 
 III. — For the Morning of Confirmation. 
 
 Wake, wake, ye children of the light. 
 Hearken to God's own Voice; 
 
 With early songs of praise draw nigh, 
 And in His courts rejoice. 
 
 Let carnal sloth and faithless fear 
 
 From every heart be driven ; 
 Spend ye this day as they that hope 
 
 To spend the rest in heaven. 
 
 So shall our souls, most Holy God, 
 
 Thy gracious influence prove, 
 Enlighten' d by Thy Holy Word, 
 
 And quicken'd by Thy Love. 
 
254 HYMNS FOR CONFIRMATION. 
 
 Praise to tiie Father and the Son", 
 And 0, like praise be Thine, 
 
 Blest Spirit ! Who our souls dost fill 
 With Light and Life Divine. 
 
 IV. — For the Services of Confirmation. 
 
 NOON. 
 
 Come, Holt Ghost, our souls inspire, 
 And lighten with celestial fire. 
 Thou the Anointing Spirit art 
 Who dost Thy sevenfold gifts impart. 
 Thy blessed Unction from above, 
 Is comfort, life, and fire of love. 
 
 Enable with perpetual light, 
 The dulness of our blinded sight. 
 Anoint and cheer our soiled face 
 With the abundance of Thy grace. 
 Keep far our foes, give peace at home : 
 Where Thou art guide, no ill can come. 
 
 Teach us to know the Father, Son, 
 
 And Thee, of Both, to be but One. 
 
 That, through the ages all along, 
 
 This may be our endless song ; 
 Praise to Thy eternal merit, 
 Father, Son, and Holt Spirit. 
 
 V. — For the Evening after Confirmation. 
 
 god's angels. 
 
 Lord, above the stars Who reignest. 
 
 Who the universe hast made, 
 Who with wondrous skill sustainest. 
 
 What Thy wondrous might arrayed ; 
 
 Let Thy chosen Angels tend us, 
 
 Guardians ever at our side ; 
 From all taint of guilt defend us. 
 
 Far from harm our footsteps guide. 
 
HYMNS FOR CONFIRMATION. 255 
 
 Tears and foes alike dispelling 
 
 Erom our borders fast and far ; 
 Every inward tumult quelling, 
 
 Quenching every baleful star. 
 
 VI. — For the Morning of the First Communion. 
 
 HYMN FOR the C0MMTJJs'I0^\ 
 
 Bread of our life, in mercy broken. 
 
 Wine of the soul in mercy shed, 
 By Whom the words of life were spoken, 
 
 And in Whose death our sins are dead ; 
 
 Look on the hearts by sorrow broken. 
 Look on the tears by sinners shed. 
 
 And be Thy feast to us the token 
 That by Thy grace our souls are fed. 
 
 VII. — After the First Communion. 
 evening hymn. 
 
 Cultor Dei memento. 
 
 Christian, ever keep in mind, 
 
 Thee the Font for Christ's hath signed, 
 
 Thee the Holy Blood bedew'd. 
 
 Thee the strengthening grace renew'd. 
 
 Ere thy head at close of day 
 On thy lowly couch thou lay, 
 On thy memory and thy breast 
 Be the Cross of Christ impress'd. 
 
 Sin and shame, like shades of night, 
 Fade before the Cross's light ; 
 Hallow'd thus, the wav'ring will 
 And the troubled heart are still. 
 
 Far, far hence, dark phantoms fly, 
 Haunting demons, come not nigh. 
 Ever waiting to betray ; 
 Arch-deceiver, hence, away. 
 
256 HYMNS FOR CONFIRMATION. 
 
 Serpent, with thy thousand coils, 
 With thy many winding wiles, 
 With thy deep meandering arts, 
 E-uffling calm and quiet hearts. 
 
 Hence ; — for Christ, yea, Christ, is here, 
 At His token disappear ; 
 Lo, the sign thou well hast known. 
 Bids thy cursed crew be gone. 
 
 Though the body listless lie, 
 Clos'd awhile the weary eye. 
 Yet the soul in very sleep, 
 Shall with Christ her vigil keep. 
 
 To th' Eternal Three in One, 
 Father and co-equal Soi^, 
 King of kings, and Spirit blest. 
 Endless glory be address'd. 
 
 MOR]S"ING. 
 
 " They will go from strength to strength : and unto the God of gods 
 appeareth every one of them in Sion." 
 
 Put from us, O Lord, we pray. 
 
 Of darkness the unfruitful deeds. 
 And keep us safely in the way. 
 
 That to Thy holy presence leads. 
 
 Each one of us has duly sworn, 
 Against our Master's foe to fight. 
 
 Beneath the Cross's banner, borne 
 
 By Him Who darkness changed to light. 
 
 He that right manfully would stand, 
 The devil, world, and flesh to quell. 
 
 Keeps anxious watch on either hand, 
 In his Lord's armour fenced well. 
 
 The shield of faith is o'er him spread, 
 
 To guard from Satan's fiery dart. 
 Salvation's helmet keeps his head, 
 
 And righteousness protects his heart. 
 
HYMNS FOR CONFIRMATION. 257 
 
 The girdle of his loins is truth, 
 
 His sword the piercing Word of God ; 
 
 He thus sets forth in earliest youth 
 
 The way GtOd's saints before have trod. 
 
 And he proceeds from strength to strength, 
 
 Forgetting all the trials past ; 
 His eyes still fix'd, where he at length 
 
 May hope eternal rest at last. 
 
 Pugnate, Christi Milites, 
 
 SoLDiEES, who to Cheist belong. 
 In your burnish' d faith be strong, 
 For God's promise it is sure, 
 His rewards they shall endure. 
 
 Come away, 
 Where are no shadows in a glass. 
 Where are no things that come and pass 
 
 To decay ; 
 Eut the leaf that shall not fade. 
 And the lights that throw no shade. 
 
 Ever stay, 
 Where the happy skies above. 
 Are the home of them that love, 
 
 All the day ; 
 And good spirits o'er our head, 
 As on happy stars they tread, 
 
 Sing alway. 
 Here on earth ye can but clasp. 
 Things that perish in the grasp ; 
 
 While ye may 
 To the heavens lift your eyes, 
 God Himself shall be your prize. 
 
 Come away. 
 
 With the happy, heavenly host, 
 To Father, Sois, and Holt Ghost 
 Sing ; for His promise it is sure. 
 His rewards they shall endure. 
 
THE CLASS LECTUUE. 
 
 In all matters in wliicli the conscience is concerned, 
 — that is to say^ on all matters of duty, — the Parson will 
 naturally see his catechumens singly. This does not 
 mean necessarily alone, because it is quite right that they 
 should come, and they frequently do come, attended by 
 some friend or relation, — some sponsor in fact. It does 
 not mean alone, but it does mean that he cannot receive 
 two or three catechumens at once. The subject of his 
 conversation is the faults, the weaknesses, the peculiar 
 temptations of the particular individual to whom he is 
 speaking, which are to be amended and guarded against 
 by that individual himself, aided, it may be, by his friend 
 or sponsor, who is interested in the same thing; but 
 this will not apply to two or three catechumens, each of 
 whom has his own conscience to attend to. 
 
 But in all matters which relate to explanation, the case 
 is different ; here every member of a well-assorted class 
 helps the rest, and contributes his quota to the common 
 stock of intelligence. Classes such as these cannot, 
 however, be arranged before the second or third week, 
 because, before that time, the parson will not have got 
 sufl&cient insight into the several capacities, or pursuits, 
 or steadiness, or regularity of his catechumens, or of 
 their private friendships or companionships, to be able 
 to classify and assort them ; and everything depends on 
 the class being weU assorted. It should not, if it can be 
 avoided, consist of more than six or seven members, and 
 of these no one ought to be very much before or behind 
 the others. The great object is, that all shall take an 
 equal part in the lecture, and that none shall be thrown 
 
DIFFICULTY IN REDUCING IT TO WRITING. 259 
 
 into tlie shade by the superior attainments of any of the 
 rest. Lectures such as these^ when well arranged^ are 
 perhaps the most effective^ certainly the most popular, 
 means of preparation which a Parson can employ. 
 
 These lectures are very easy to give ; a well-assorted 
 class_, who have been in the habit of associating together, 
 and who, remembering their school-days, are well ac- 
 customed to the Parson^s mode of catechising and ex- 
 plaining, soon lose their shyness, and enter into the 
 spirit of the conversation. 
 
 But easy as it may be to give such lectures, it is by 
 no means easy to write them ; on paper they look stiff 
 and unnatural, or else become excessively tedious. In 
 most cases there will be a multitude of leading questions, 
 which it is absolutely necessary to put, but which, to a 
 reader who sees at a glance the object aimed at, are 
 wearisome in the extreme. Indeed, unless the catechu- 
 mens are quick and intelligent, it is absolutely impossible 
 to reduce this kind of lecture to writing at aU. 
 
 To obviate these two difficulties, and to ensure that 
 this, which I offer as a specimen, should be a bond fide 
 lecture, not an invention of my own, — should be natural, 
 and should be readable, — I sent for a class of my former 
 catechumens, whom I could depend upon, and read with 
 them the 15 th chapter of S. Luke, which is one of those 
 which I always select as a Confirmation subject. It is 
 not an average lecture, certainly, because the catechu- 
 mens in this instance are the four pupil-teachers of 
 "Westbourne School, who, it may easily be supposed, are 
 readier and more intelligent than others of their class ; 
 still they are all young people, who have had no farther 
 education than the school itself supplies, and may be con- 
 sidered as fair specimens of what that class is capable of. 
 The manner in which the lecture was taken down is this : 
 each one noted his or her own answers, and when the 
 lecture was finished, one of the party remained in my 
 study, and, from these notes, drew up under my inspec- 
 tion the lecture as it now stands. 
 
 The class which I assembled on this occasion is, it will 
 be observed, a mixed class, composed of girls and boys, 
 
260 MIXED SCHOOLS 
 
 — or, I might almost say, of young women and young 
 men. I am myself very partial to this mode of teaching, 
 not only for schools, but for catechumens of a more 
 advanced age also. That it is easier to teach classes so 
 composed, no one doubts ; but a great many do doubt 
 the propriety of so teaching them on moral grounds. I 
 take my stand on educational grounds certainly, but I 
 take it on moral grounds also. 
 
 My theory is, that if God intended men and women 
 to live together in the same society, it is just as much 
 our duty to teach those boys and girls, who are hereafter 
 to become men and women, to behave towards each 
 other with propriety, modesty, and decorum, as it is to 
 teach them their Catechism on their '' Faith and Duty ;" 
 and that teaching of every kind, and this especially, is a 
 matter of practice rather than of theory. Scotland and 
 Ireland both boast their superior degree of morality in 
 this respect to that of England, and the latter with some 
 truth; yet both in Scotland and Ireland boys and girls 
 of the labouring classes, and very frequently of the higher 
 classes also, are generally educated together. 
 
 In the school at Westbourne I generally examine boys 
 and girls together, and I find that this always produces 
 a greater degree of attention and emulation, each being 
 ashamed to lose credit in the eyes of the other. 
 
 In the playground they have fuU permission to play 
 together, if they like (which is much the best security 
 we possess against their wandering away together) ; but 
 they very seldom do play together, because boys^ amuse- 
 ments and girls^ amusements are of a different character, 
 and if, as happens at rare intervals, I do see a dozen boys 
 and girls going down a slide together in the winter, or 
 engaged in a game of rounders in summer, I believe 
 both parties are improved by their temporary coalition. 
 
 It is a general principle that, if you would make 
 people trustworthy, you must trust them ; and upon this 
 principle I have always acted with the pupil-teachers, 
 for I have followed out the system of pupil-teachers at 
 Westbourne School for years before it ever entered into 
 the mind of Government to appoint them^ and from 
 
FOR COXFIRMATIOX. 261 
 
 these that school has turned out six or seven school- 
 masters and schoolmistresses^ with every one of whom 
 we have reason to be satisfied. 
 
 Long before the Committee of Council wrote to us^ 
 long before there was any Committee of Council on Edu- 
 cation at allj I ventured to adiase my schoolmaster and 
 schoolmistress to teach their respective subordinates to- 
 gether^ to make a class of them^ to teach them their 
 duties towards each other^ but in no way to discourage 
 such intimacy as might innocently exist between those 
 engaged in similar occupations. This practice we con- 
 tinue stilly notwithstanding the cautions which we receive 
 yearly from the Minutes of Council. Many of our 
 young people have grown up^, and as yet we have had 
 no reason to repent our confidence; two or three ox 
 them are married_, and it is singular_, and not a little to 
 my disappointment^ that they have in no case married 
 among themselves, but have preferred strangers. 
 
 I am not saying that there is no danger in this system ; 
 I see the danger perfectly ^ and always have seen it : but 
 in fourteen years I have not met with anything to shake 
 my trust in my own theory_, and it would not be a light 
 thing that would shake it now. It is better that one 
 should fallj if it should so happen^ while twenty others 
 have learnt that moral restraint which is necessary for 
 them after they are emancipated from all control of ours^ 
 than that every one should be preserved from actual 
 sin by actual supervision for the present^ and then be 
 launched into the world to fall into it^ from want of that 
 self-respect and self-control, which we should have 
 taught them, but did not. We should not forget that 
 our responsibility extends far beyond the time when our 
 dependents are actually under our teaching. 
 
 The same rule we should carry out to a certain degree 
 with respect to catechumens preparing for Confirmation, 
 and with them, as with school-children, it is far easier 
 to teach a mixed class than a class composed entirely of 
 either sex, — I say, to a certain degree — for the rule does 
 not at all apply to strangers, who have not been brought 
 up under our eye, or who are associated together now 
 
262 MIXED CLASSES. 
 
 for the first time. Here the rule would not hold good 
 at slW, and here the sexes must not be classed together 
 on any account. 
 
 Neither in the case of those who have grown up under 
 our eye must the ordinary precautions be neglected. 
 Young men and young women^ however well taught_, are 
 but young men and young women after all. If it is ne- 
 cessary to assemble a mixed class after dark^ the girls 
 may easily be dismissed to their homes, while the boys 
 are occupied for ten minutes or so, in ascertaining by 
 rule and compass the precise number of miles between 
 Jerusalem and Jericho, or verifying two parallel passages 
 by an investigation of Cruden, or even in putting the 
 books and chairs away, and sweeping the carpet, on 
 which there will always be dirt enough left to make a 
 very good reason of it. Or, again, two or three mothers^ 
 — or, what is better, maiden aunts, if they are to be had, 
 — may be invited, and, if they can possibly find time, 
 they are aU glad enough to come to a class lecture. 
 Above all things, the catechumens should never be kept 
 waiting in an anteroom ; let them be admitted as they 
 come, — the Parson surely will have something to say to 
 the early- comers ; and let those who come late be sent 
 back at once, — the Parson is very sorry, but he cannot 
 disturb the lecture when once begun ; let no excuse be 
 admitted, however good, and they will none of them 
 be late next time. 
 
 In all these arrangements no Parson can go far wrong 
 if he will just consider it the case of his own daughters, 
 and ask himself to what extent he would trust them in 
 the society of young men of their own rank, and what 
 unseen checks he would in their case put upon too fa- 
 miliar an intercourse. There is no so great difference 
 between one young woman and another young woman, 
 and if he attempt to put a greater restraint upon his 
 female catechumens than he would upon his daughters, 
 he will fail, and so he ought. He must not expose the 
 one to unnecessary temptations any more than he would 
 the other, but, he may depend upon it, that all the su- 
 pervision that he or his subordinates can exercise will 
 
A CLASS LECTURE. 263 
 
 avail very little, if that is all that lie trusts to. If any 
 credit is to be placed in the record of Spanish or Italian 
 manners which we find in their works of fiction, the 
 duenna and the lock and key prove in practice but very 
 indifferent safeguards. Nothing is a safeguard but re- 
 ligious duty and a sense of self-respect, and this last is 
 grievously impaired, if not destroyed altogether, by 
 suspicion and distrust. 
 
 A Class Lecture on S. Luke xv. 
 
 '^^Open your Bibles at the 15th chapter of S. Luke^s 
 Gospel," said the Parson. '^ I want you to have a clear 
 idea, not only of the mercy of God, but also of the way 
 in which He restores penitent sinners to the state of 
 grace which they had forfeited. Read me the first two 
 verses." 
 
 ^^ Then drew near unto Him all the publicans and 
 sinners for to hear Him. And the Pharisees and Scribes 
 murmured, saying, This Man receiveth sinners, and 
 eateth with them." 
 
 '^ A good deal is to be learnt," resumed the Parson, 
 ^^ simply by considering the times and occasions in the 
 Bible. We must not overlook even the little word 
 ^ then.^ What had our Saviour been doing or saying 
 in the preceding chapter, which induced the sinners to 
 draw near to Him ?" 
 
 '' He had been telling them of the master of the house 
 sending his servants into the streets and lanes of the 
 city, to bring to him the poor, and the maimed, and the 
 halt, and the blind," said A., whose quick eye had caught 
 sight of the parable of the Great Supper. 
 
 ^' Yes," said the Parson ; ^^ and here let me caution 
 you of one difference between ourselves and those people 
 to whom the Lord was speaking. Though the Old 
 Testament is not without its mercies, it is far more a 
 book of God's judgments than the New. These people 
 were so much in the habit of regarding Him as a God 
 of justice^ rather than as a God of mercy, that it was 
 
264 THE GOOD SHEPHERD. 
 
 far more necessary for our Saviour to explain the in- 
 finity of GoD^s mercies to tliem^ than it would be to 
 explain them to us. We have heard so much about 
 them^ that our danger is that we should forget that the 
 God of mercy is a God of justice also. Hence the ne- 
 cessity of repeating the lesson^ which He does three 
 timeSj but each time with such varieties as to form a 
 fresh and additional piece of instruction. Now_, tell me 
 what the two first parables of the chapter are about^ 
 and observe the points in which they are alike, and 
 those on which they differ. ^^ 
 
 "We have first/^ said B., '^'the story of a Shepherd 
 losing one of his sheep, which he is pasturing in the wil- 
 derness, leaving the flock in order to look after the lost 
 one, and feeling more joy at having recovered it than in 
 the rest which had never strayed." 
 
 " Of course you can explain it V^ said the Parson. 
 
 "The Shepherd is our Saviour,^^ said B., " His flock 
 ourselves, the wilderness the world, and the lost one a 
 sinner ; while the joy felt by the shepherd represents the 
 joy that He would have us understand He feels at the 
 recovery of a lost one." 
 
 "Now D.," said the Parson, "look at the next pa- 
 rable, the main sentiment of which your sister has 
 rightly represented, in explaining the first, and tell me 
 what are the points of difference between it and the 
 preceding." 
 
 " Instead of a man it is a woman," said D. 
 
 " Yes," said the Parson ; " and instead of a wilderness 
 it is a house that is now searched — all the rest is pre- 
 cisely the same. Who is called the spouse of Christ ?" 
 
 "The Church," said J. 
 
 "The object of these two parables, then, taken toge- 
 ther," said the Parson, " is to show us the pains taken 
 by our Saviour for the restoration of each individual 
 sinner, and the joy which attends the success of His 
 efforts ; and at the same time to point out that He has 
 committed precisely the same office to the Charch, with 
 this single exception, — that whereas His own care and 
 His own labour extends over the wide world, typified by 
 
REGENERATION AND RENEWAL. 265 
 
 the wilderness^ the care of the Church is limited to 
 that portion specially assigned to her — the nation, or 
 diocese, or parish, as it may be, committed to her 
 charge. This is not intended to check her missions, 
 but to remind her of a thing we are very apt to forget, 
 that though we are to do good to all men, our special 
 office is to them '^ who are of the household of faith.^ 
 In fact, we are obeying the command of our second 
 parable at this very moment in preparing for this Con- 
 firmation. The Church is, as it were, sweeping her 
 house, not only counting up Christ's treasures, which 
 are still safe, but looking for those which, for the time, 
 are lost or mislaid, and rejoicing over them as she finds 
 them. Go on now with the next parable, which in its 
 general plan is similar to the other two, but which enters 
 more into the details of our restoration, discourag- 
 ing an idea which the other two parables, taken sepa- 
 rately, might have raised in our minds — that the Sa- 
 viour would do all for us, and that our own desires and 
 our own efibrts were not required. The other two pa- 
 rables you see simply represent God as a God of mercy, 
 rejoicing whenever a sinner renders himself capable of 
 receiving forgiveness ; but this enters more into detail, 
 it distinguishes between the forgiveness by which God 
 restores us from the curse of original sin, and the for- 
 giveness by which He repairs the losses we have sus- 
 tained by our voluntary departure from grace given. 
 The former is gratuitous, the latter must be attended 
 with good will and faithful exertion on our part. The 
 one, for distinction's sake we call Regeneration, the 
 other Renewal. Who can tell me what is the meaning 
 of Regeneration ?'' 
 
 ^^ Creating a man afresh," said D., ^^in the image of 
 God, which image he had lost by the necessary conse- 
 quences of the fall. ^Created anew in righteousness, 
 and true holiness.' " 
 
 '^ What then do you mean by Renewal ?" said the 
 Parson. 
 
 " Restoring whatever has been decayed by the fraud 
 
266 CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGES. 
 
 and malice of the devil^ or by our own carnal will and 
 frailness/^ said D. 
 
 ^'^ Or_, in plain English/' said the Parson, " the differ- 
 ence between Regeneration and Renewal is the differ- 
 ence between making and mending. A thing may be 
 mended many times, it can be made bnt once. It may 
 not be our own personal fault that we are lying under 
 the corruption of original sin, and therefore God may, 
 and generally does, give us the forgiveness freely ; but 
 it is our own fault if we fall away from grace given, 
 therefore, before He will renew us. He generally requires 
 some voluntary act of faith on our part. You have 
 been regenerated freely, but by this time you must be 
 beginning to see your want of renewal. How is the 
 continual sanctification of the Holy Ghost taught in 
 the Catechism?'-' 
 
 '' Sanctifieth me and all the elect people of God,'' 
 said B.^ — ^^ the present tense; not sanctified, the past; 
 whereas, Jesus Christ is just before represented not as 
 redeeming, but as having redeemed." 
 
 '^ This parable," said the Parson, " may be taken 
 either with reference to the Jew and Gentile, as repre- 
 sented by the two brothers, or the brothers may be con- 
 sidered as types of two classes of churchmen. I would 
 rather take the latter interpretation to-day, as best suited 
 to our case. Find out, then, from the two verses quoted, 
 why the parable relates to two churchmen, and not to 
 any two men ?" 
 
 '' Because," said A., '^ the younger asks for the por- 
 tion of goods that falleth to him, that is to say, belongs 
 to him now. If the portion of goods means God's grace, 
 men generally can claim no part as belonging to them 
 of right, but Christians can." 
 
 'f Why can Christians ?" said the Parson. 
 
 '^ Because," said A., " it comes with the covenants of 
 their Baptism, and that which is promised by God may 
 be said to belong to the person to whom it is promised, 
 because it is secured to him on the credit of God's 
 truth." 
 
 ^^ The meaning of divided ?" said the Parson. 
 
FOLLIES LEADING TO SINS. 267 
 
 " Gave them His grace in sucli portions as was suited 
 to thenij as more fully explained in the parable of the 
 Talents/^ said J. 
 
 ''^Read the next four verses^ 13^ 14, 15, 16." 
 
 " Into a far country ; what does that mean ?" 
 
 " The world which is far from God," said D. 
 
 '^'^Do you mean that blame is implied here?" said 
 the Parson. There was no answer, and the Parson con- 
 tinued. ''\ think not myself. I think that the younger 
 son was simply doing what you are about to do — he was 
 going out into the world to gain his livelihood in it. 
 You observe, the father lets him go without any remon- 
 strance. We are not required to come out of the world 
 in order to serve God, but to do our duty in that state 
 of life into which God has called us. — But he wasted 
 his substance ?" 
 
 " His grace," said D., interjectionally. 
 
 ^^ In riotous living ?" 
 
 ^' In sin," said D. 
 
 " No," said the Parson. '' I do not think we have 
 brought him to sin yet ; it is rather heedlessness, 
 thoughtlessness, forgetfulness of his duty, and eagerness 
 in pursuit of his pleasure, that is implied. And I beg 
 you to observe, that this alone was sufficient to waste 
 his substance ; it did not require actual sin. His grace 
 was the talent in the napkin — it was not wanted for 
 riotous living. It was, therefore, not exercised, and not 
 being employed it was withdrawn — And when he had 
 spent all ?" 
 
 " Lost all the grace given him," said D. 
 
 '^ There arose a mighty famine in that land ?" 
 
 ^^ There came a sore affliction upon him," said J. 
 
 '' Yes," said the Parson ; " either a public calamity in 
 which he partook, or even a private affliction. And he 
 began to be in want. Observe, this could never have 
 happened to him, had he not first spent his substance, for 
 otherwise affliction only brings us nearer to God. In the 
 present case this did not happen, for he went and joined 
 himself to a citizen of that country — what country ?" 
 
 " The world — a worldly-minded man," said B. 
 n2 
 
268 COMING TO OURSELVES. 
 
 " And what did the worldly-minded man do for him T^ 
 
 " He sent him into the fields to feed swine." 
 
 '^ Observe/'' said the Parson^ " this is the first definite 
 breach of Gon^s laws — why is it so ?" 
 
 " Because swine being, according to God^s law, un- 
 clean, he was engaged in a positively forbidden business." 
 
 " This is a very important lesson," said the Parson. 
 ^^ Afiliction, like any other of God^s gifts, is intended to 
 bring us nearer to Him, — and it does bring us nearer 
 to Him. ^ Before I was troubled I went wrong,^ said 
 David, '^but now I have kept Thy Commandments / but, 
 like any other of God^s gifts, if it falls upon a heart un- 
 fitted for it, it works harm instead of good. This is just 
 the case of a respectable man who has met with some 
 great misfortune, — say, for instance, the loss of his wife, 
 — and who takes to drink to drive away his sorrow. 
 Depend upon it that man had wasted his substance long 
 ago, not in sin, but by neglecting to use it ; when it was 
 wanted, it was not forthcoming, so he joined himself to 
 a citizen of that country ; he did as a mere worldly man 
 might do, and took to feeding swine, and, we may add, 
 would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the 
 swine did eat. Explain that, D. : what is ' fain V " 
 
 "He would if he could," said D. ; "but what the 
 swine did eat were mere' husks, which look like full 
 grains, but turn out empty when we use them, like this 
 world^s pleasures." 
 
 " Yes," said the Parson, " and no man gave unto him, 
 for to comfort a man while he remains in such a state 
 of mind as that, is altogether beyond man^s work." 
 
 "Now read from the 17th to the 24th verse." 
 
 " Came to himself," said the Parson ; " why not came 
 to a better frame of mind ?" 
 
 " Because," said A., " a man has but to come to him- 
 self, — ^that is, to what he was when his Father divided 
 to him his substance at his Baptism ; it is not a new 
 state that he wants, only a return to himself." 
 
 " Show me this from the Baptismal service," said the 
 Parson. 
 
 " ^ May lead the rest of his life according to this be- 
 ginning. " 
 
THOUGHT AND ACTION. 269 
 
 '' Show it me_, J.^ from the Catechism/^ 
 
 " ^ And I heartily thank onr heavenly Father that 
 He hath called me to this state of salvation^ and I pray 
 unto God to give me His grace/ not that I may become 
 better_, but ^ that I may continue in the same unto my 
 lifers end/ '' 
 
 '^ Quite right/^ said the Parson ; " Baptism is re- 
 mission of siuj — that is to say^ innocence in God^s sight ; 
 we may fall from this_, and by God^s grace and our own 
 most sincere repentance and hearty fendeavours^ may in 
 some sort return to it^ but we can never be more than 
 innocent_, — to be more would make us meritorious or de- 
 serving in our own proper nature. ^ Have bread enough 
 and to spare/ — how do you render that_, B._, distinguish- 
 ing between hired servants and sons T' 
 
 " How many Christians,, who are not, like ourselves, 
 Churchmen, have enough of God's grace to carry them 
 through the trials of this world.^^ 
 
 ^' To ^ spare/ " said the Parson, " is merely an expres- 
 sion to show us the fulness of God's grace; no one can 
 have more than enough of it. Prove this." 
 
 ^' ^ He that had gathered much had nothing over,' says 
 S. Paul, quoting from Moses, ^ and he that gathered little 
 had no lack.' " 
 
 " A very good quotation," said the Parson ; '^ but, ob- 
 serve, they all gathered, — that is to say, they all exerted 
 themselves according to their ability. You recollect S. 
 Paul, in the text you have just quoted, presupposes a 
 willing mind, and that is just the point I am going to 
 show you by a comparison of the 18th and 20th verses 
 of the parable : ^ I will arise,^ the thought, and ^ he 
 arose,^ the action. What says the Collect for Easter 
 Day?" 
 
 '^ It prays," said A., '' that God would put into our 
 minds good desires, and that He would enable us to 
 bring them to good effect." 
 
 '' Exactly," said the Parson, ^^ both these are God's 
 gifts, but when do we find the father in the parable 
 going to meet his son V 
 
 " After he arose," said J., — ^' after he had put his 
 thoughts into action." 
 
270 CHRISTIAN NOURISHMENT. 
 
 " And yet/^ said tlie Parson^ "God knows our tlioughts_, 
 — nay^ He suggests them; He comes to meet ns, no 
 doubt, when we are yet a long way off; but He does 
 require something on our part to prove that we are in 
 earnest : we must arise^ as well as say we will arise. I 
 never heard of any blessing given to good thoughts, — 
 they are Gon^s, not ours : He it is Who puts them into 
 our minds, but our actions are our own ; they may be 
 done by the help of His grace, just as we dig by the help 
 of a spade, and could not dig without one, but it is we 
 who do it. Here lies the difference on our parts be- 
 tween Regeneration and Renewal — repent and be bap- 
 tized, and do works meet for repentance, — not do works 
 meet for repentance first, and be baptized afterwards. 
 Baptism is free, but when you are baptized, and have 
 received the necessary grace, then put that grace to the 
 use it was intended for ; if you have not done so, God 
 may forgive you and renew you, but He will first re- 
 quire you to do it. 
 
 " We need not now speak about the penitence and 
 humility necessary for a man in such a situation, for 
 you understand that, only take great care that on such 
 occasions you do not fall into the common mistake of 
 thinking yourselves more religious than you were ; we 
 will pass over that, and explain the robe and the ring." 
 
 ^^ I suppose," said J., " the robe refers to the khelat, 
 a dress of honour mentioned by Burder, and the ring to 
 the symbol of command." 
 
 " Yes," said the Parson, " and these things encourage 
 us to hope that it is possible for us to be fully reinstated 
 in our Father's favour even in this life ; but in what 
 state would a man be who has come to his father's house 
 starving ? — not very fit for undertaking the work of the 
 hired servant which he was so ready to accept." 
 
 " No," said J., " I suppose he must be in a weakly 
 state, and altogether unfit for work." 
 
 " Yes," said the Parson, " notwithstanding the robe 
 and the ring : this is not an uncommon mistake when 
 we are brought again to God, we are anxious to work in 
 His service, which we have thus taken up afresh, and we 
 
THE HIGHER STATE OF THE FAITHFUL. 271 
 
 forget that our own misdeeds have rendered us unfit for 
 the labour. What does a starving man want V 
 
 " Nourishment/^ said B. : " and that is expressed by 
 the fatted calf^ the choicest and best food the father had 
 to give him." 
 
 '^ And what is that ?" said the Parson. 
 
 " The strengthening and refreshing of the soul by the 
 Body and Blood of Christ^ as our bodies are by the 
 Bread and Wine." 
 
 " Do not forget that this is our nourishment^ without 
 which our souls are starving and unfit for work. 
 
 '^ There is one very instructive part of the parable/^ 
 continued the Parson, "which I have no doubt our 
 Saviour put into it, in order to correct a misappre- 
 hension that might well have arisen in the minds of 
 men not very well accustomed to meditate on God^s 
 mercies. 
 
 " It was natural that they should infer, that if so 
 much pains were taken for the conversion of a sinner, 
 and so much joy prevailed in heaven at his repentance, 
 — and, if he were received again with the robe, the ring, 
 and the fatted calf, — that the state of a repentant sinner 
 was really better than that of a just man who needed no 
 repentance. Therefore our Saviour puts this natural 
 feeling into words, and imagines an eldest son, who had 
 served his father faithfully, and who expresses a natural 
 astonishment and discontent at the very great honour 
 shown to his erring brother, compared with the strict- 
 ness under which he has himself always been restrained. 
 First, how do you reconcile the expression, ^ Lo, these 
 many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at 
 any time thy commandment,^ — which, you observe, the 
 father does not at all deny or reprove, — with the equally 
 true sentiment that we have ^ all come short of the glory 
 ofGoD?^" 
 
 "I suppose," said A., "the distinction must be re- 
 ferred to sins of habit, sins of wilfulness, and such like ; 
 while sins of infirmity, and those which, being repented 
 of as soon as they are committed, and not repeated, may 
 be called casual sins, — the latter may therefore, for 
 
272 THE HIGHER STATE OF THE FAITHFUL. 
 
 Christ^ s sake_, be considered as continuing in his state 
 of justification/^ 
 
 ^^ Show^ then, from this parable, that, notwithstanding 
 the joy of the father, and notwithstanding the honour 
 shown to the repentant son, he who has not stained his 
 baptismal robe is in a higher state of blessedness/^ 
 
 " ^ Son,^ ■'^ said A., reading the last verse of the chapter, 
 " ^ thou art ever with me : all that I have is thine/ " 
 
 ^' That is the point I would have you bear in mind,'* 
 said the Parson ; " you are all about to start on your 
 separate courses through life ; you are all going to re- 
 ceive strength from God, to enable you to perform your 
 duties. You can do them ; His grace is sufficient for 
 you ; now keep your innocence and your faithfidness. 
 It is a blessed thing, no doubt, for those who have fallen 
 from this estate, to reflect that there will be joy in 
 heaven when, having been dead, they are alive again, 
 and having been lost, they are found, but it will be far 
 more blessed to remember that we are ever with our 
 Heavenly Father, and that all that He hath is ours.** 
 
CATECHETICAL LECTUEES. 
 
 The general cateelietical lecture is only another form of 
 public catechising. I adopted it originally as a sort of 
 transition between the afternoon sermon and the after- 
 noon catechising prescribed by the Rubric ; but I was 
 induced to continue it after my people had become ac- 
 customed to its catechetical arrangement^ because I con- 
 sidered it to combine the advantages of both methods of 
 teaching. It is supposed, of course, to take place in 
 church, from the reading desk, after the second lesson^ 
 and is intended, at least, as much for the edification of 
 the parish at large, as it is for that of the catechumens : 
 in fact, the catechumens should not be compelled, or 
 even urged, to take part in it ; some are not qualified 
 for it, to some it would be injurious. A certain number 
 of convenient seats should be reserved for those who 
 wish to be catechised in public, and the Parson need 
 never fear having too few candidates. The difficulty 
 lies generally in making the selection. 
 
 The idea of the catechetical lecture is taken from the 
 practice in courts of law, the Parson makes his statement 
 first, and then examines the witnesses, to prove it. 
 
 The advantages of the plan are these — in catechising 
 it is always necessary to put questions apparently irre- 
 levant, partly in order to give confidence, partly as a 
 foundation for other questions bearing more immediately 
 on the subject in hand. The minds of the congrega- 
 tion are by these means very frequently led away from 
 the drift of the argument or explanation, particularly 
 in those cases in which the children do not answer 
 
 N 3 
 
274 DIFFICULTIES OF PUBLIC CATECHISING. 
 
 clearly, and thus they carry off no very definite idea 
 after all of what the Parson has been explaining. 
 
 In the catechetical lectures^ a certain proposition or 
 portion of the subject is laid down which must not be so 
 long or so complete^ but that the people can readily bear 
 it in mind ; when the examination takes place^ the con- 
 gregation bearing the object in mind_, easily distinguish 
 between the irrelevant or introductory questions, and 
 those which actually bear upon the subject to be ex- 
 plained_, while the change from speech to questioning 
 occurs with sufficient frequency to keep alive the atten- 
 tion both of the auditors and the participators in this 
 exercise. 
 
 The lectures which follow are my earliest attempts in 
 this mode of teaching, those which I have given subse- 
 quently, have been, for the most part extempore or from 
 notes; but these earliest have been the models of them 
 all. In the first of these lectures I have introduced the 
 leadiug questions at some length, taking them either 
 from Bevan, or from some other of the numerous cate- 
 chetical books ; not that I mean it to be understood 
 that these actual questions were asked, but in order to 
 give some idea of the form of questioning. It is im- 
 possible to put down any particular questions before- 
 hand, no catechist can tell the train of thought which 
 will be suggested by any answer that he may receive, 
 so that if he writes down his questions, the chances are 
 that every one that he asks after the three or four first 
 will be different, either in form or substance, from those 
 which he had intended to ask. One thing should be 
 especially avoided, and that is, that the catechumens 
 should know beforehand the precise form in which the 
 questions will be put ; this will immediately impart to 
 the whole exercise a stifihess and formality which is in- 
 tolerable. 
 
 I do not hesitate to say that this, whether it take the 
 form of the catechetical lecture, or of simple catechising, 
 is by far the most difficult part of a Parson's duty, and 
 this is the real reason why the afternoon sermon is so 
 frequently substituted for the afternoon catechising. 
 
QUALIFICATIONS NECESSARY FOB IT, 275 
 
 It requires no great amount of talent to catecliise ; 
 any one^ even of the most moderate abilities may do it ; 
 but it requires an amount of labour whicb those who 
 have never attempted it^ are unable even to conceive. 
 
 No man can catechise unless he is not only thoroughly 
 acquainted with his subject,, but fully embued with it ; 
 he must be able to catch at once the distant bearing 
 of an imperfect answer^ to see where the catechumen 
 dimly conceives, and where he is unable to apprehend 
 a particular point ; he must see at once what supple- 
 mentary question will bring out a dark passage, or con- 
 vey a missing idea ; he must have his subject so well in 
 hand, that he can take up the different threads of it, 
 and unravel immediately any little confusion into, which 
 it may be thrown ; he must be quick and ready too in 
 taking up his points without a moment^ s consideration, 
 or he will find that the attention of his auditors is 
 flagging, and the thoughts of his catechumens adrift. 
 Above all things, he must sedulously avoid that most 
 common of all faults, preaching his questions and mak- 
 ing long rambling interrogations, which by no ingenuity 
 can be answered, except in the words yes and no. The 
 effect of this is not less distracting to the catechumens, 
 than it is distressing to the audience. 
 
 But besides being thoroughly familiar with his sub- 
 ject, he must be thoroughly acquainted vdth his people 
 also, they must have become familiarised with his style 
 of questioning, and accustomed to his explanations, be- 
 fore they meet him in church; and he, on the other 
 hand, must be able to pitch at once on any individual, 
 and to adapt to his particular comprehension the ques- 
 tion which he puts to him. 
 
 All this, no doubt, may be effected without any es- 
 pecial talents or requirements, it is quite within the 
 reach of very moderate attainments. I have seen it 
 done admirably by pupil teachers, and by mistresses of 
 dame schools, who could neither write nor spell the 
 very questions they asked. But there is only one way 
 of learning to catechise, and that is by constant prac- 
 tice and downright hard work. 
 
276 CATECHISING AN OLD CUSTOM. 
 
 There is no so certain a test of a Parson^ s past labours 
 as his present power of catechising ; there is no proof 
 that he has adequately taught either himself or his 
 catechumens, so absolutely infallible,, as his catechu- 
 mens^ power of answering him in church. Shyness in 
 public is only another name for a secret consciousness 
 of some deficiency. 
 
 LECTURE I. 
 On the Catechism. 
 
 It was once the custom of the English Church, al- 
 ways, and as a matter of course, to catechise the child- 
 ren of the parish after the Second Lesson. If you look 
 at the Eubric after the Catechism you will see — '^ The 
 Curate of every parish shall diligently, upon Sundays 
 and holy days, after the Second Lesson at Evening 
 Prayer, openly in the Church instruct and examine so 
 many of the children of his parish sent unto him as he 
 shall think convenient, in some part of the Catechism.^^ 
 
 That is, not all or any of the children of the parish, 
 but those whose answers he thinks may be made useful 
 to his general teaching. 
 
 This, no doubt, did great good to the children, be- 
 cause aU those who went to school, or even those who 
 did not, would be anxious to make themselves fit for 
 the great privilege of explaining God^s Word before the 
 congregation. Sponsors naturally remembered the pro- 
 mise they had themselves made when they saw the 
 children they had undertaken to instruct brought out 
 in the Church, and could not but be aware that while 
 the priest was examining how much the children knew 
 of their faith and their duty, he was at the same time 
 examining and proving how far the sponsors had per- 
 formed their promise. When I say sponsors, of course 
 I mean parents also — they are sponsors by nature, the 
 
CATECHISING AN OLD CUSTOM. 277 
 
 others are sponsors by agreement. When^ therefore, I 
 say sponsors, I mean all who are bound to see children 
 christianly and virtuously brought up — fathers and mo- 
 thers, godfathers and godmothers, schoolmasters and 
 schoolmistresses, and, above all, the Parson of the parish 
 and his curate. We are all being examined before God 
 to see how we have done one of the most important 
 duties which God has trusted to our care. 
 
 But besides this, besides the good it does the children 
 in making them learn their duties to God and man, and 
 in putting us sponsors in mind of our duties towards 
 the children — besides all this, catechising has this good, 
 that we all need to be put in mind of our profession, 
 just as much as the children need to be taught it. And 
 we are taught it easier and better by watching the an- 
 swers given, and seeing how far they are correct, than 
 by any amount of reading or preaching. 
 
 Most of you know that I have a class of children 
 whom I examine and catechise in the Bible for an hour 
 every day of the week, after morning service. ^ I do 
 not at all hesitate to say, that the person who profits 
 most by this is myself. I learn, and remember, and 
 work out things that I should never have thought of 
 otherwise. 
 
 One of the greatest preachers that ever we had said, 
 when he was an old man, " When I think of it, I could 
 quarrel even with my sermons, they have taken up so 
 much time from catechising.^^ 
 
 The custom of public catechising was gradually 
 dropped, I believe, from mere idleness. It is much the 
 most difiicult thing a Parson has to do — not that it re- 
 quires great learning or cleverness, but a great deal of 
 time and trouble ; because he must first prepare himself- 
 and then prepare the children. All this required so 
 much time that many Parsons began merely to ask the 
 words of the Church Catechism, without seeing that 
 any one understood the meaning; and then, by degrees, 
 an evening sermon after the service took the place of 
 the catechetical lecture during the service. The even- 
 ^ This refers to times before the school was properly organised. 
 
278 SELECTION OF CATECHUMENS. 
 
 ing sermon is quite a new thing. Many of you are old 
 enough to recollect when there was none in this parish. 
 
 What I mean to do is this. I will take some subject 
 from the Catechism_, follow it up by question and an- 
 swer^ till we are quite satisfied that the children under- 
 stand it, and by that time we shall all of us understand 
 it ourselves. I will then add some observations on it 
 myself, and then, according as we have time, pass on to 
 another portion. Thus we shall ourselves become better 
 acquainted with our profession — for, in truth, the Ca- 
 techism is a complete summary of all our faith, and 
 all our duty ; and he who knows the meaning of every 
 part of it, and orders his life accordingly, will not be 
 far from the kingdom of God. 
 
 I have chosen these children principally because they, 
 having heard of my intention, entered into my plans, 
 and ofi'ered themselves willingly. I shall be quite ready 
 to take any one else, not only from the three schools, 
 but also from among any of the parishioners. In those 
 times when catechising was common in England, all 
 those were catechised in this manner who had not been 
 confirmed. Hence the word catechumens, which gene- 
 rally signifies those who have not as yet partaken of the 
 LoRD^s Supper. 
 
 One word to you children — in school, or on common 
 occasions, you are in the habit of answering me each or 
 all of you together just as you find youi'selves able to 
 answer — while I, who am accustomed to it, catch your 
 words, and tell you which is right. This is a very good 
 plan for school, because it makes you quick and ready; 
 but you m.ust not forget now that you are actually tak- 
 ing part in the worship of Almighty Gron — speaking in 
 His house and in His presence. Speak, therefore, one at 
 a time, as I point — you shall all have the opportunity of 
 answering in your turn — and speak with reverence ; but 
 I have no objection that any one of you who can an- 
 swer a question which another cannot, should hold out 
 his hand. 
 
 The subject that I shall take first is the Christian 
 Covenant, upon which indeed all our obligations of either 
 
CHRIST^S BODY. 279 
 
 faith or duty depend. I will show you that the reason 
 why we are bound to do and believe is_, that we have 
 promised so to do, and the reason why we have a right 
 and title to heaven is_, that God has promised^ — that 
 these two sets of promises depend the one upon the 
 other, like those of any other covenant_, — and that we 
 claim the fulfilment of them on God^s part in some 
 sense as a right,, — that is, not for our worthiness, but 
 because of the truth of Him Who promised. 
 
 How many names have you ? 
 
 Which of these had you at your birth ? 
 
 Where did you get the other ? 
 
 What is it called ? 
 
 Why? 
 
 Who gave it you ? 
 
 First of all, let us see what God^s promises are : — 
 
 What is the first thing you were made at Baptism ? 
 
 Mention the meaning of the word. 
 
 What is a member ? 
 
 A part of whose body were you made a member of when you were 
 baptized ? 
 
 What is Cheist's Body ? Eph. i. 22, 23. 
 
 What do you mean by the word Church ? Acts ii. 42 — 47. 
 
 Whose body were you made members of when you were baptized ? 
 
 What persons then are made members of Cheist ? 
 
 When om' Savioue called to Saul out of heaven, what did He say ? 
 
 If you saw one person ill-using another you might say, Why do you 
 ill-use that person. Did our Saviotje say so ? 
 
 What did He say ? 
 
 Why did He use the words " Persecutest Me," instead of the words 
 " Persecutest My people, or My disciples ?" 
 
 Now let us sum up what we have just heard. We 
 have seen that at Baptism we were made members of 
 Christ,— that is to say, that our condition bears the 
 same relation to Him that one of our members or limbs 
 does to our head. S. Paul argues against a gross sin 
 by saying '^ Know ye not that your bodies are the mem- 
 bers of Christ ?^^ Could we but bear in mind, as we 
 ought, how closely we are joined to the Lord after hav- 
 ing been baptized into His Body, which is the Church, 
 we should more fully feel the sin of dishonouring His 
 members, — that is to say^ ourselves^ — the sin of cruci- 
 fying Him afresh, and putting Him to an open shame^ 
 
280 , CHILDREN OF GOD. 
 
 "for/' says S. Paul^ "we are members of His Body_, of 
 His Fleshy and His Bones/' 
 
 When you were made a member of Christ, what else were you made ? 
 
 How does being a member of Cheist make you a child of GrOD ? 
 
 Are we children of GrOD in the same way that Cheist is ? (Mcene 
 Creed.) 
 
 What is to adopt ? 
 
 Whose child are you by nature ? 
 
 How are you GtOd's child ? 
 
 When did you become so ? 
 
 Regenerate means bom again. — Must we be born again before we can 
 enter into GtOd's kingdom? 
 
 What did Cheist say to Mcodemus ? 
 
 When were you bom again ? 
 
 What is Baptism caUed in Scripture to teU you that ? (Answer. — 
 The washing of regeneration.) 
 
 Whom do you depend on for your hvehhood in this world ? 
 
 Who is the father of your soul ? (Trust — obedience — correction.) 
 
 How does God correct us ? 
 
 What has our Saviottr taught us to call G-od ra our prayers ? 
 
 Have all mankind a right to call Him our Fathee ? 
 
 What do you mean by elect ? 
 
 Have you that right ? 
 
 We are also_, then, children of God ; without being 
 children of God we have no right to pray and speak to 
 God as " Our Father.'' We have seen that by nature 
 we were not His children, — we were children of Adam, 
 and he fell. We know that, except we be born of water 
 and the Spirit, as our Lord has declared, we cannot 
 enter into the kingdom of heaven. This is done then 
 at Baptism, which is called by S. Paul and S. James 
 (Tit. iii. 5 ; S. James i. 18), '^^the washing of regenera- 
 tion." Not that the washing would save us without 
 the power of God, but it pleases Him to work by those 
 means. He would restore the sight to the blind man, 
 so He made clay and anointed his eyes, though He 
 might have done it by a word, or without a word : so 
 when He would regenerate us — He might have made us 
 His children without Baptism, — but it did please Him 
 to sanctify water to the washing away of sin. This He 
 did when He chose to be baptized in it Himself, and the 
 Spirit descended upon Him like a Dove. 
 
 What is an inheritor ? 
 
 Have you a title to the kingdom of heaven ? 
 
TREASURE IN HEAVEN. 281 
 
 When did you get it ? 
 
 What have you a title to by Baptism ? 
 
 Does it belong to your Fathee ? 
 
 Whom do you mean when you say your Fathee ? 
 
 How have you a title to it ? 
 
 Who gave you this title ? (Eom. viii. 17.) 
 
 "^If we really believed this, where should we place our 
 treasures, — that is, our desires and wishes ? — on earth, 
 which we know is passing away, or at any rate, which 
 we know we shall ourselves leave ? or in the heaven 
 which we are told is our inheritance ? Which is better, 
 to place them on earth, where at best the security is 
 doubtful, or in heaven, where they will certainly be pre- 
 served ? Is it not folly to leave your treasure in a place 
 from which you must depart, and not to send it to that 
 place where you expect to go ? Place therefore your 
 substance where your country is ; much earthly treasure 
 is destroyed by moth and rust, some is lost through 
 thieves, but Christ brings forward another reason be- 
 sides for laying up our treasure where our inheritance 
 is : He says, " Where your treasure is, there will your 
 heart be also," — as much as to say, even if you lose no- 
 thing of what you place on earth, though most likely you 
 will, yet you will suffer no small loss by attaching your 
 affections on things beneath, and making yourself a slave 
 to them, and in falling from heaven and being able to 
 think of no lofty thing. Of what use is this heaven by 
 inheritance to one who places his treasure on earth ? — 
 he has nothing to look forward to in heaven ; why should 
 he look up to heaven if he has laid up there nothing for 
 himself ? 
 
 Are you quite sure if baptized of having the kingdom of heaven ? 
 (Heb. iv. 1.) 
 How can you lose or forfeit it ? (1 Cor. i. 2, v. 11.) 
 What is a covenant ? 
 
 If I make a promise to you, is that a covenant ? 
 Or you to me ? 
 
 If I hire a labourer, is that a covenant ? 
 Why? 
 
 What do I promise ? 
 What does he ? 
 
 If I refuse to give him his wages, is he bound by his covenant ? 
 What then if he refuse to do his work ? 
 
282 COVENANTS. 
 
 We will treat on this subject of promises more fully 
 at another time, but in the meanwhile let us never for- 
 get the nature of an agreement between two parties ; 
 the party who does not keep his own promise has surely 
 no right to call upon the other party to the covenant to 
 keep his. God no doubt has promised us these three 
 things that we have just now been speaking of, but let 
 us see whether we did not at the same time promise 
 something to God. 
 
 Did you ever promise any thing to GrOD ? 
 
 Who did for you ? 
 
 When? 
 
 Why was it necessary the sponsors should promise ? 
 
 Who is bound by this promise, they or you ? 
 
 Are they bound to do any thing ? 
 
 What did your godfathers and godmothers then for you ? 
 
 Our first promise-, then, is to resist the world, the 
 flesh, and the devil ; and this, of course, puts us in mind 
 of our LoRD^s temptation, which, so far as it is possible 
 for us to understand it, seems to have been of this kind. 
 On this subject we will speak next Sunday, — in the 
 meanwhile let us all remember that we have each of us 
 made our promises to God, and, as we value our salva- 
 tion, let us see that we keep them. 
 
 LECTURE II. 
 
 On the Catechism. 
 
 We finished last Sunday by explaining the meaning 
 of the word covenant, and showing that it meant more 
 than the word promise, — in fact, that it is a sort of 
 double promise from two parties, either of whom has it 
 in his power to break the covenant if the other do not 
 himself keep his own part of it. I explained it by ask- 
 ing the children how I made a covenant with a labourer 
 if I hired him for a certain piece of work, and they told 
 
COVENANTS.' 283 
 
 me that lie promised work and I promised wages^ — tliat 
 if I gave him no wages he was not bound to give me 
 work, and if he gave me no work I was not bound to 
 give him wages. This illustration you will see at once 
 was taken from our Lord^s own parable of the house- 
 holder hiring labourers for his vineyard. There is a 
 point in this that we have not had time yet to consider, 
 and that is, that the householder in our case supplies us 
 his labourers with the means to do his work, as we see 
 in the parable of the talents, where he gives them some- 
 thing to trade with before he asks for any return ; but 
 that we must consider by and by, when we come to treat 
 of the grace of God. At present I want you to have a 
 clear idea of the term Christian Covenant, and Christian 
 resolution to keep it, so I shall call the catechumens up 
 to question them on this point to-day. Do not imagine 
 that the object which the Church had in view, at the re- 
 vision in Charleses days, when the Rubric which I read 
 to you last Sunday was approved, and this kind of cate- 
 chising was commanded, was to instruct the children 
 only, — at the same time there were other provisions 
 made for them, there were many regulations about 
 schools and schoolmasters, and there was a provision 
 that children should be catechised between the services. 
 This was intended for all the children in the parish. 
 
 Besides this, not only that you might be judges whe- 
 ther the ministers and schoolmasters performed their 
 duty in this respect, but also for your own instruction, 
 the Minister was directed to choose some of the chil- 
 dren, — if you look at your Prayer Books, at the end of 
 the Catechism, you will find " as many as he shall think 
 convenient,^^ that is, as many as he shall think will be 
 of use to you in his teaching. 
 
 You will do well, therefore, to follow me both with 
 your Prayer Books and Bibles, — try whether you could 
 answer the questions put ; if you can, you will remember 
 the doctrine all the better ; if you cannot, listen to the 
 answer, and you will have learnt a portion of your re- 
 ligion which you are required to know. It will be like 
 catechising the whole congregation. 
 
284 THE title' OF OUR INHERITANCE. 
 
 At your Baptism GrOD made you three promises, what were they ? (In 
 three words — ^Forgiveness, Help, and Happiness.) 
 Did you make any promises on your part? 
 
 Grive me them in three words. (Repentance, Faith, and Obedience.) 
 Give it in the words of the Catechism. 
 Was this promise made by yourself ? 
 Does it bind yourself ? 
 What have your sponsors to do with it ? 
 
 I have been so particular about the covenants^ because 
 it is by means of them that we hold our title to salva- 
 tion. Christ obtained for us the kingdom of heaven 
 by His deaths and gave it to us as an inheritance under 
 certain conditions. It is necessary for us to know what 
 these conditions are_, how they are to be obtained, by 
 what means they may be lost, how it is possible for us 
 to renew them, and how we may best keep them when 
 they have been renewed. 
 
 Perhaps this will serve to show why Baptism is so 
 very necessary, why the Church should be so very par- 
 ticular that the right forms should be attended to even 
 in times of haste and distress, and why, under very ur- 
 gent circumstances, rather than allow the possibility of 
 a child dying unbaptized, she allows even those who 
 have received no commission to perform one of the holi- 
 est ofi&ces without incurring the sin of Korah or of Saul. 
 Christ has obtained for us all an inheritance, and Bap- 
 tism is the only title-deed by which that inheritance is 
 made over to us. We do not take upon ourselves to 
 say that none are saved except those who are rightly 
 baptized, but none can claim Gon's promises for salva- 
 tion unless they are admitted to them by the form 
 which Christ pointed out for their admission, and by 
 the people whom Christ has commissioned to admit 
 them. 
 
 Questions. 
 
 You will realize this the better if you think how you 
 hold any earthly inheritance you may possess. You re- 
 ceived them from your fathers or near relations, or per- 
 haps friends, and you are very thankful to them for what 
 they have left you ; but how do you hold them ? — what 
 makes them yours ? Is it not the possession of some 
 
THE TITLE OF OUR INHERITANCE. 285 
 
 law form whicli you very likely do not quite understand_, 
 but which you know thus much about for certain^ that 
 the possession of that form makes you masters of that 
 inheritance ? Just so it is with the sprinkling of the 
 water and the repeating of the words. This is the form 
 by which we hold our heavenly inheritance. The per- 
 son who is not baptized is like the person who knows 
 his friend meant to leave him an inheritance,, but who 
 has not got the will. That our Heavenly Father can 
 make up for this loss, and give us the inheritance with- 
 out it, is most true ; that He will do so if it is lost with- 
 out fault of ours, is very likely, though we have no pro- 
 mise that He will ; but if we are without it because we 
 have cared nothing about it, and have neglected it, and 
 thrown it away, it is not at all likely that He will. Re- 
 member Esau, how he threw away his birthright : he 
 found no place for repentance, though he sought it care- 
 fully with tears. Remember this, then : a child who is 
 baptized has the title-deeds of his inheritance, and the 
 child who is not baptized has not yet got them. 
 
 Questions. 
 
 You saw, from the children's answers, that though 
 covenants mean promises between two parties, made by 
 each of them, yet that God gives us our title on other 
 persons' undertaking that we shall be content with our 
 share of the promises when we come to understand 
 them, and indeed in cases of Private Baptism God gives 
 us His grace without any promise on our part. This is 
 a pure act of free grace on God's part, in order that no 
 one, for want of knowledge or understanding, should 
 lose their hope of salvation. God has been peculiarly 
 careful for children from the very first time when He 
 made covenant with man, — long before the Gospel Dis- 
 pensation, He commanded them to be taken into co- 
 venant not later than eight days old. You can easily 
 see, that though it has pleased God to change the pre- 
 cise outward form by which the inheritance is conveyed, 
 just as, some time ago, a law about wills prescribed a 
 new form of words to be made use of, yet the intention 
 is always the same, and Circumcision then and Baptism 
 
286 SIN AFTER BAPTISM. 
 
 now is the outward form wMcli conveyed to children 
 their heavenly inheritance. 
 
 Questions. 
 
 Will God forgive wilful and habitual sin after Bap- 
 tism ? That is not implied in the covenant certainly, 
 which, as far as forgiveness goes, speaks only of the 
 past, and this we are especially warned of in the Creed 
 which speaks of one Baptism for the remission of sins. 
 The truth is, that God has not bound Himself to do 
 that by covenant ; He will of His free mercy forgive us 
 if we turn to Him ; He has told us so, and given us 
 many examples to show us how He does it, but we can 
 claim no promise, — indeed, He has told us very plainly 
 that there are states of mind into which we may bring 
 ourselves by long and obstinate continuance in sin in 
 which He will not give it. All that we can claim from 
 Him, as a matter of promise, is grace to help us both 
 in keeping us from sin, and showing us how to repent 
 it ; and this, if we have not quite quenched the Holy 
 Spirit, we shall have, provided we ask for it earnestly. 
 
 Questions. 
 
 The answers given to these latter questions will show 
 you what is meant by Christian resolution. Resolution 
 generally means saying "I will,^^ and keeping to it 
 when you have said it ; Christian resolution means, too, 
 saying " I will," but it is " I will, remembering that 
 GoD^s help is one of the three things which God has 
 promised to give me." The Christian says, just as 
 firmly as any one else, " Yes, verily, I will," but he puts 
 in the words, " by God^s help." He is just as certain of 
 doing it if he pleases, as if he knew that he was strong 
 enough of himself, because, having faith in the baptismal 
 promises of God, he knows that he will be made strong 
 enough by the help of God. But he knows that he 
 will not be made strong enough without constant prayer, 
 and therefore he adds, first, thanks that God has placed 
 him in a state in which he can get this help by asking 
 for it, — and that not for his own merits, but through 
 Jesus Christ his Saviour, — and then, thinking that 
 he is standing now, yet fearing lest he may fall hereafter, 
 
ON THE CREED. 287 
 
 he prays that God would keep giving him that grace 
 which He promised, that he may continue in the same 
 state all his life long. 
 
 I am afraid we shall hardly have time this Lent to go 
 through the two promises that we have made to God, — 
 faith and obedience, — and to examine into the two parts 
 of the Catechism which teach these things sufficiently 
 closely; perhaps this may be the less necessary just 
 now, because our Wednesday and Friday lectures treat 
 of at least one of these subjects, when they examine 
 one by one the Ten Commandments. I want as much 
 as possible to make the week-days the time for con- 
 sidering the points of our duty wherein we have failed^ 
 and the Sundays the time for examining the means of 
 grace which God has placed in our power, because each 
 of these Lent Sundays brings us one step nearer to the 
 time when we hope to offer ourselves — our souls and 
 bodies — as a reasonable, holy, and lively sacrifice unto 
 God at the festival of the Resurrection. 
 
 Now, our means of grace are the different ordinances 
 which are open to us as baptized Christians, and the 
 principle of these ordinances for our future life are prayer 
 and the Lord^s Supper. To these two points, there- 
 fore, and particularly the preparation necessary to a 
 faithful partaking of the Lord^s Supper, we will for the 
 remainder of the Lent Sundays direct our questions. 
 
 We will now go on with the service. 
 
 LECTURE III. 
 On the Creed. 
 
 I have often told you that the whole of the Lent ser- 
 vices, suggested by the Gospels, Epistles, Collects, and 
 Special Lessons of the season, beginning with Septua- 
 gesima, when we are first called upon to note the differ- 
 ence between our own lives and that of our Great Ex- 
 
288 FAITH AND OBEDIENCE. 
 
 ample, and ending witli Easter Eve, when we pray, that 
 being buried with Him in Baptism, by continually mor- 
 tifying our corrupt affections, we may, as He did, make 
 the grave the gate of our joyful resurrection — from first 
 to last, every service tends to one point, and that one 
 point is the blessed resurrection at the last day, when 
 the faithful shall be received into full communion with 
 God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. I 
 have told you, too, that the Communion of that great 
 Festival of Easter is, in a more especial sense, the type 
 of that eternal Communion, and that our partaking of 
 it is a sort of pledge or earnest that we have passed 
 through the necessary preparations of Lent, that we 
 have examined ourselves thoroughly on every part of our 
 faith and duty, that we have prayed God to enlighten 
 our minds while we were doing it, that we have worthily 
 lamented the errors we have discovered, that we have 
 seriously set to work to amend them, and that now, 
 while we are to the best of our power performing one 
 of the promises we made at Baptism, " repentance ;^^ 
 and seeking means to keep the other two promises, 
 '' faith " and " obedience,^^ we claim, on the warrant of 
 God's own truth, the performance of one of the pro- 
 mises He made to us, "grace'' — seeking it where 
 Christ bade us seek it — in His body and blood. 
 
 Remembering that God forgives us only repented and 
 acknowledged sins, and viewing this whole season as a 
 means to that end, you will see that I have hitherto fol- 
 lowed out the Church's teaching — that while in my 
 morning sermons I have first called upon you to mortify 
 your bodies — then not to put your tnist in any thing 
 that you do but in Christ only — then to expect con- 
 fidently the defence of God — I have at the same time 
 made the other services conduce to the same end. Thus, 
 one Sunday afternoon we examined into the promises 
 which God has made us, and thus saw what we have to 
 trust to, and saw also, that these promises were Forgive- 
 ness, Grace, and Eternal Happiness — while the next 
 Sunday we examined what we had, on our parts, pro- 
 mised to God — and saw that that was, Repentance, 
 
DAMNATION THE PENALTY OF UNBELIEF. 289 
 
 Faith^ and Obedience. And we have seen in the course 
 of our catechising that the performance of these pro- 
 mises on God's part depends entirely on the sincere 
 endeavour on our part to perform ours. 
 
 Our Weekday Lectures have all had the same object 
 in view. One of our promises was obedience^ and obe- 
 dience consists in keeping God^s Commandments. We 
 have, therefore, hitherto examined one by one the four 
 first Commandments, and asked ourselves searchingly 
 and minutely how we have kept them ; and we are next 
 week going to begin, in a like close and searching man- 
 ner, the Commandments of the second table. We 
 should hardly make our Lent preparation complete un- 
 less we examined our faith as well as our duty, and 
 took the twelve articles of the Christian faith contained 
 in the Creed, as well as the ten articles of Christian 
 duty contained in the Commandments. We will, there- 
 fore, make it our subject of catechising for this and 
 the next Sunday — and though we shall not have time 
 to enter into it as fully as we enter into the Com- 
 mandments, we must not forget that it is to the full as 
 necessary for our salvation — that it must be taken in as 
 broad a sense — that the questions we must ask our con- 
 sciences upon it are full as searching — and that it is 
 our faith, the Catholic faith, the promise which we have 
 made, and which, when addressed to baptized Christians, 
 is that which except a man believe faithfully, he cannot 
 be saved. 
 
 Catechise on the 1 st and 2nd Divisions of the Creed. 
 
 You recollect that the Athanasian Creed finishes by 
 saying that '^ this is the Catholic faith, which except a 
 man believe faithfully, he cannot be saved.^^ And as 
 both the Nicene and the Athanasian Creeds are nothing 
 more than explanations of this Apostles^ Creed, autho- 
 rised by the Church, it may be said also of this Creed, 
 part of which we have been considering, that this is the 
 Catholic faith, which except a man believe faithfully, he 
 cannot be saved. That is to say, not a man generally, 
 for we know nothing about God^s dealings with those 
 who do not belong to His Church, but a churchman ; 
 
290 
 
 unless a churcliman believe these things faithfully he 
 cannot be saved. And the reason of this is^ that it is 
 part of his covenant. God has been pleased to offer 
 him salvation^, provided he believe all the articles of 
 the Christian faith. If he do not choose to believe 
 them, he has no right to complain that God will not 
 perform His part of the covenant; by not believing 
 he has refused to perform his own part of the cove- 
 nant_, and God has told him quite plainly, that though 
 he that believeth and is baptized will be saved, he that 
 believeth not will be damned. God gives children His 
 grace at once in Baptism, and takes them into covenant 
 before they can keep any part of it themselves. That is 
 just like a compassionate master seeing a family in great 
 distress, and intending to give them work, paying a part 
 of their wages beforehand, to relieve them from their 
 present distress. But the Church is quite aware that 
 the grace at Baptism is, as it were, lent or advanced, so 
 she provides people to teach the children what God re- 
 quires of them. And to be sure that these people 
 believe rightly themselves, the first thing the Church 
 does is to examine them, (I mean the sponsors them- 
 selves) to see whether they themselves believe all these 
 articles of the Christian faith, which they are promising 
 to teach. When a child is christened, the Church asks 
 the sponsors, dost thou believe in God the Father Al- 
 mighty ? and so goes through this whole Creed. She 
 does not ask this in the name of the child, but says to 
 the sponsors, I want to know whether you are proper 
 people yourselves to trust this child to. This Creed 
 will be necessary to salvation. Now do you believe it 
 fully yourselves ? The question is, dost thou believe ? 
 not, dost thou in the name of this child ? 
 
 It is a very common thing to say. Give people the 
 Bible, and let them find out God's word from it. We 
 quite forget that when the Apostles preached they did 
 not give people the Bible. They taught them first what 
 to believe and to do, and then gave them such portions 
 of the Scripture as they had. It has been supposed 
 that when S. Paul told Timothy to hold fast the form 
 
A COVENANT OF OUR BAPTISM. 291 
 
 of sound words wliicli lie had received from him, it was 
 the Apostles^ Creed that was spoken of; at any rate 
 thus much is certain, the Apostles^ Creed was the basis 
 of Christian teaching long before what we call the New 
 Testament was in existence. 
 
 Now that is the reason why in catechising to-day I 
 have taken this Apostles^ Creed, and not the Nicene or 
 Athanasian ; it is the very Creed which the sponsors 
 promised to teach these children (and, indeed, every one 
 of you too,) when they were baptized. We want to see 
 how they have taught it, for it is a thing of the very 
 last importance. A Christian, that is, one who is in 
 covenant or communion wdth God, is one who believes 
 all these articles of the Christian faith ; he who does 
 not believe every one of them is not a Christian, and 
 the promises we have been speaking of the last two 
 Sundays, do not belong to him. A church may add to 
 these articles of faith, such other articles as are neces- 
 sary to its government, and these articles may be good 
 or bad, as the case may be. We may approve of these 
 articles of government, or we may not approve, but while 
 it holds by the articles of the Christian faith, in all 
 their breadth and fulness, it is still a real branch of 
 Christ's Church. So also in the case of a private in- 
 dividual ; he may have his own fancies, but so long as 
 he holds fast the articles of Christian faith pure and 
 unmixed, he may excommunicate himself, divide him- 
 self from Christ, and put himself out of covenant if he 
 please; but the Church does not excommunicate him. 
 
 He has promised to believe these articles of the Chris- 
 tian faith contained in the Creed. What he has pro- 
 mised that the Church calls upon him to perform ; but 
 nothing more. Of these articles we are not to suppose 
 one of more value than another. As there is One 
 ^^ which is the great commandment of the law,'' so there 
 is One " which is the great article of faith." We haA^e 
 promised to believe them all, and unless we do what we 
 have promised, and believe them all, we are out of co- 
 venant. Nor does it signify whether they are easy to 
 understand or difficult to understand ; we are not called 
 
 o 2 
 
292 THE THREE DIVISIONS 
 
 upon to understand; but to believe ; to believe tbem^ 
 because God_, Whom we cannot understand,, but Whom 
 we know to be good and faithful, has revealed these 
 things to us. We have considered to-day the first di- 
 vision about God the Father^ that is easy and familiar 
 to our comprehensions. But the second division, that 
 about God the Son, is more difficult, and requires a 
 greater exercise of faith. Very true, we may spend 
 more time in considering it, but the one is as necessary 
 to our salvation as the other, we must receive them both 
 alike. Next Sunday we shall take into consideration 
 about the Holy Ghost, and the Church, and the Judg- 
 ment. That is more difficult to understand than either 
 of the other divisions, but I do not find that it is the 
 less necessary to salvation on that account. It is part 
 of the Christianas promise, it is part of that cove- 
 nant through which he is saved ; it is the Catholic 
 faith, believed from the very foundation of the Church, 
 always, eveiywhere, and by all, and therefore that which 
 unless he keep whole and undefiled, without doubt, ac- 
 cording to his LoRD^s own words, he shall perish ever- 
 lastingly. 
 
 LECTURE IV. 
 
 On the Creed. 
 
 There is one thing in the Apostles^ Creed which 
 ought not to escape our notice, and that is, the division 
 of it into three subjects, as well as twelve articles. Each 
 of these subjects is headed by the words, ^' I believe.^^ 
 Not but that this word applies to every portion of the 
 Creed, and is supposed to be repeated at the head of 
 every article, but that the Church wishes us to see that 
 mankind is divided into three distinct classes in a reli- 
 gious point of view, according as they believe fully in 
 one, twOj or three Persons of the Blessed Trinity. 
 
CREED. 293 
 
 It is hardly possible to conceive the case of men who 
 do not believe in God the Father. Their altar may be 
 to the unknown God — they may not know His attri- 
 buteSj nor understand anything of His nature^ because 
 those only know God to whom God has been pleased to 
 reveal Himself. But to live without God in the world 
 is not natural to man_, and at no time_, and in no place^ 
 has He left Himself without a witness. The first divi- 
 sion of the Creed, then, comprehends all mankind. 
 
 Question on " First, I believe in God the Father, Who 
 made me and all the world.'' 
 
 But among these there are a portion of men to whom 
 it has been predestined from the beginning of the 
 world, that Christ should be revealed. In course of 
 time. He will, we doubt not, be known to the whole 
 earth, but at present certain nations alone are chosen, 
 and by God^s own special choice others are kept back. 
 Why this is so we do not know — that it is so we are 
 sure, because we find it in the Bible. AYhen S. Paul, 
 for instance, essayed to go into Bithynia, the Holy 
 Ghost suffered him not, but sent him to a different 
 nation. Christ redeemed all mankind; but He did 
 not sufiPer Himself to be made known except to the elect 
 people of God. 
 
 Question on ^^ Secondly, in God the Sox, Who redeemed 
 me and all mankind.'' 
 
 And who are the elect people of God ? Not all good 
 people certainly. We will not take upon us to say that 
 there are no good heathens, who have never known 
 Christ, still less will we venture to say that all those 
 who are elected to have Christ offered to them are 
 necessarily good people. Common sense would tell us 
 that, even if we forgot the parable of the good and bad 
 fish, which were all enclosed in the net that represented 
 the kingdom of heaven. 
 
 Question on " Thirdly, in God the Holy Ghost, Who 
 sanctifieth me and all the elect people of Gob." 
 
 The elect people of God are those who are chosen to 
 be admitted into the Church. They are then sanctified — 
 that is, separated for God^s service by the Holy Ghost 
 
294 THREE CLASSES OF BELIEVERS. 
 
 from the world who are not sanctified. The term elect 
 is used in the same sense as that in which the Apostles 
 use it at the opening of most of their epistles, and sig- 
 nifies the baptized. 
 
 But as this may be taken in a large and full sense, to 
 describe the way in which grace is distributed to all 
 mankind, so it may also be taken to describe the dificr- 
 ence with which mankind receive it. Some merely con- 
 fess a God, a superintending Providence, and know 
 nothing or care nothing about the other two divisions 
 of the Creed. Some have an historical belief that 
 Christ died for them, and that their sins will be for- 
 given by means of His death, though they do not much 
 understand how. They have some idea that some sort 
 of grace is given somehow or other ; but they have no 
 great idea of any outward and visible means of receiving 
 it. This is a very large class indeed — some belonging 
 to it through wilfulness, but most through ignorance. 
 A third class believes all the articles of the Christian 
 faith — believes, indeed, the first and second divisions of 
 it without which the third would be incomprehensible 
 and useless ; but it is not contented with believing in 
 part, nor thinks anything suflficient for salvation short 
 of the whole that our Saviour has revealed — rests in 
 peace under the rule of an Almighty Father — trusts 
 for everlasting happiness in the atonement and sacrifice 
 of the Blessed Son — but believes also in the Holy 
 Ghost — receives its sanctification in the Holy Catholic 
 Church, through the means which that Spirit has sanc- 
 tified for the purpose — is thankful for the four privileges 
 granted to that Church — feels the Communion of Saints 
 —acknowledges in Baptism the remission of sins — 
 looks for the resurrection of the body — and hopes for life 
 everlasting. 
 
 We will now catechise on the third division of the 
 Creed : and let me beg your full attention to the subject, 
 for it is a very common idea that a certain sort of reli- 
 giousness, going under the general name of faith, is all 
 that is required of us ; whereas we have seen that our 
 only title to heaven lies in God^s promises, and that 
 
THE CREED A SUBJECT OF THANKFULNESS. 295 
 
 those promises are made to those^ and those only^ who 
 hold all the articles of the Christian faith. 
 
 Catechise on the 3rd Division of the Creed. 
 
 This^ then J is the Christianas religion — the Articles of 
 the Christianas faith — that which distinguishes him 
 who is a follower of Christ from him who is a follower 
 of his own will, and a follower of Christ only so far 
 as the will of Christ accords with his own will. 
 
 We have hitherto treated these articles as so many 
 points necessary to the salvation of a Christian; but 
 there is another light, and a far more lo^dng and affec- 
 tionate light, in which we should accustom ourselves to 
 regard them. And that is, not as so many duties which 
 we are compelled to perform through fear of missing 
 our reward, but as so many privileges which our hea- 
 venly Father has been graciously pleased to bestow 
 upon us. We should regard it not as a duty that we 
 must believe in God the Father, but as a happiness that 
 we have a Father to watch over us. We should not 
 say we are obliged to believe in God the Son, and in the 
 atonement which He has made for us, but that we count 
 it most unspeakable blessedness, that when we had no 
 other escape from death. He, the God Almighty, laid 
 down His life for us. Nor should we teach ourselves to 
 say that we cannot be saved unless we believe in the Holy 
 Ghost, and receive the grace of that Holy Spirit 
 through the ordinances of the Church which He has 
 appointed to be the keeper of it ; it is true, we have no 
 promise of being saved unless we do; but how much 
 more Christianlike to burst out into a song of thankful- 
 ness that Christ has sent us a Comforter, that He has 
 ordained us a Church, that He has appointed in it means 
 of grace for those who could not help themselves, that 
 He has given us one Baptism for remission of sins, 
 that we could never have washed away, that He has 
 revealed to us our future communion with our departed 
 friends, promised us a resurrection of our bodies and 
 life everlasting. In many churches the Creed is sung 
 as an anthem of praise and thanksgiving to God, and it 
 is a true Christian spirit to do so. The Creed is not a 
 
296 OUR POWER TO PERFORM OUR PROMISES. 
 
 cold declaration of tlie Christian faith^ it is a joyful 
 and a thankful acknowledgment of the Christian hap- 
 piness. 
 
 As such may we all regard it^ and there will be no fear 
 that we forget or neglect any of the articles of the Chris- 
 tian faith, when we have brought ourselves to regard 
 them as so many points of a Christianas privileges. 
 
 LECTURE V. 
 On Prayer. 
 
 It may well be said that the whole of religion depends 
 on our proper sense of these two truths_, that we cannot 
 help ourselves, and that there is One who will help us. 
 If we thought we could help ourselves, there would be 
 no need of prayer ; unless God had revealed to us His 
 willingness to hear, we should not know whom to pray to. 
 
 We find that two of the promises which we have made 
 to God in our Baptism are, that we will believe all that 
 He has revealed to us, and that we will do all that He 
 has commanded us, and on those conditions He has pro- 
 mised us eternal happiness. When we are asked whether 
 we will believe and do all that our sureties have pro- 
 mised for us, we make no hesitation about our own na- 
 tural weakness, but we say boldly. Yea, verily, and by 
 God's help, so I will, and I heartily thank my Heavenly 
 Father for bringing me into this state of salvation. 
 Now '^ state of salvation" means " state in which I can 
 be saved." I cannot be saved unless I keep my pro- 
 mises, therefore state of salvation means a state in which 
 I can believe all that I have to believe, and can do all 
 that I have to do. This I know I cannot do by nature, 
 but into this state in which we can do and believe this, 
 we are firmly convinced God has brought us, and this 
 state we call the Church. Into this Church or this 
 state of salvation He has brought us, through our Lord 
 Jesus Christ. Not only because He has made an 
 
GOD REQUIRES TO BE ASKED FOR HIS GRACE. 297 
 
 atonement for our past sins_, which otherwise we conld 
 never ourselves have made up_, but also because it is 
 through Him that our prayers are answered^ and that 
 we receive the strength which enables us to keep these 
 promises. Hitherto we have been examining the pro- 
 mises we have made to God^ our faith and our obedience. 
 We are now going to examine into God^s part of the 
 covenant_, and to see how those who are willing to per- 
 form their part obtain the help^ without which they can- 
 not do any thing. 
 
 With respect to God^s part of the covenant which re- 
 lates to grace^ God has made two conditions — firsts that 
 we should ask for it — and secondly^ that we should be 
 content to receive it in the way He chooses to send it.^ 
 Both these conditions are put in for our good. The first^ 
 that we should never allow ourselves to forget that only 
 of His gift it Cometh that His faithful people do Him 
 true and laudable service. The second^ that we may 
 prove our faith and see whether we believe fully in the 
 power of GoDj Who can make even the elements do His 
 will, and Who therefore can send His grace to enable 
 us to do it likewise, through means apparently so insuf- 
 ficient as those which He has appointed. 
 
 We are not able to think any thing of ourselves,, any 
 more than to do any thing of ourselves. And we are 
 warned by the punishment of Nadab and Abihu, who 
 put strange fire into their censers, that is to say, ofiered 
 up unauthorised and rash prayers, how dangerous a thing 
 it is to pray in an unauthorised manner, and how diffi- 
 cult it is to pray aright. 
 
 To help our infirmities and to show us how to pray, 
 our Saviour has given us a form of words so sh6rt, that 
 every body can recollect them, yet so comprehensive as 
 to take in all that we really want. 
 
 This is the subject which we will choose for to- day ^s 
 catechising, though we shall not have time to treat of 
 it as fully as its importance requires. So many children 
 have asked me to be permitted to answer, both from the 
 school and from among those who have left, that we 
 
 ^ S. John vi. 
 
 o3 
 
298 DAILY PRAYER. 
 
 shall hardly have room for them here ; it will be suf- 
 ficient if a few only come here^ and that the rest^ that 
 is to say^ any who would like to answer^ should stand 
 up in their places and answer from thence. 
 
 Catechise mostly from Sinclair on the Lord's Prayer, 
 I have a few pieces of advice to give you about prayer. 
 In the first place_, let it be daily. There is nothing we 
 are so apt to let slip out of our minds as the sense of 
 our dependence upon God^s constant care^ and the mo- 
 ment that is out of our minds there is no religion. 
 Every day and every hour little things occur_, in all of 
 which there is a right and a wrong. We cannot ever 
 afford to let the idea of our duty to God slip out of our 
 minds^ nor our sense of the need we have of God^s help. 
 As sure as we forget to pray^, so sure are we to begin to 
 do what we like in little matters, instead of what we 
 ought to do. And as soon as we do that, we shall begin 
 first to make distinctions between little duties and great 
 duties ; and in the end to neglect them all. 
 
 The next piece of advice is this — necessary as private 
 prayer may be, it is not to be compared with common 
 or united prayer. There are several reasons why this 
 must be the case, such as learning friendliness, and con- 
 siderateness for one another, when we see ourselves all 
 united as children of one Father in our Father's house, 
 getting rid of our natural selfishness by seeing that we 
 all want the same things, getting rid of our pride, by 
 all alike acknowledging ourselves miserable sinners, en- 
 couraging and animating our devotions by seeing the 
 devotions of others. These, and many others, will all 
 be admitted as reasons by even worldly men; but I 
 would have the faithful look a little deeper into the 
 matter, and remember how much greater a privilege it 
 is, to have '^ Jesus Christ in the midst of us,^^ than 
 simply " to be rewarded openly.^^ That is the real dif- 
 ference between common prayer and private prayer, and 
 that is at once the answer to those who say they may as 
 well say their prayers at home ; if your private prayers 
 are sincere they will be rewarded, that is answered ; but 
 if you come to Church you will meet Christ. There is 
 
THE PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH. 299 
 
 just the same difference too between common prayer and 
 the Holy Communion ; if you go to Church to pray you 
 will meet Christ there^ but if you receive the Holy Com- 
 munion you receive Him within you. The great fault 
 in people who are indifferent about coming to Churchy 
 or indifferent about the Holy Communion^ is want of 
 faith. Christ certainly has said, " where two or three 
 are gathered together in My name, there am I in the 
 midst of them.^'' And from the very Apostles^ time the 
 Church has always interpreted that to signify coming to- 
 gether in the Lord^s house. And Christ has said also, 
 '' whoso eateth My flesh dwelleth in Me and I in him •/' 
 but people are faithless, people do not believe His words, 
 and therefore they come to Church when it suits their 
 convenience, and many do not come to the Communion 
 at all. 
 
 The third piece of advice is, learn to use for your pri- 
 vate prayers, as well as your public, the prayers of 
 the Church. If you will study your Prayer Books, 
 you will find that there is no one single thing that you 
 can want for which you may not find a petition in the 
 Prayer Book, put in far better language than any you 
 can make. 
 
 I am very particular, as you know, in teaching you all 
 your collects, and sometimes I have made you learn the 
 Grospels with them, — my reason is this : I want you to 
 make your own family prayers, and to have these in 
 your minds to make them by, and to have in your minds 
 also examples which suggest particular prayers on par- 
 ticular occasions. No one need be at a loss for a family 
 prayer book who can say the Lord^s Prayer and the 
 Creed, and who knows where to turn to the Collects and 
 the Psalms, for this is the very best you can have. You 
 will be pretty nearly sure to remember a gospel for 
 everything you want, and a collect belonging to that 
 gospel. What do you suppose I made you read or chant 
 the psalms for every day of your lives at school, except 
 that you should remember what David prayed for, and 
 what he thanked God for, and fiow he did both the one 
 and the other ? 
 
300 WHAT ARE THE BEST FAMILY PRAYERS. 
 
 The very best family prayer books, as they are called, 
 are but bad jumbles of the Church prayers. Learn to 
 do as the Church has done, — to ask for each particular 
 thing that you want, separately, remembering, if you can, 
 some instance where God has granted that particular 
 thing. Ask it in Christ's Name. If you want any- 
 thing else, make another pi*ayer for it, also in Christ's 
 Name, and then you will remember what you have 
 prayed for. It is for this reason that it has become so 
 universal a thing to make children learn the collects ; 
 we keep up the custom after we forget the reason. The 
 collects contain nearly everything we can ask for, and 
 he who has these well in his head, and knows what they 
 mean, will have but little use for a family prayer book. 
 
 My last piece of ad"\dce is, learn to pray for one an- 
 other, — learn to pray for your friends, — and that not 
 only because ^^ the prayer of a righteous man availeth 
 much,^^ but because it strengthens your own faith, or 
 rather because failing to do so weakens your faith. Do 
 you really believe that Christ is now in the midst of us, 
 and listening to us ? — do you really think He can grant 
 what you want for yourselves ? — then He must be as 
 ready to grant what you ask for others, particularly as 
 He has told you to pray for them. You want the hearts 
 of some of your relations turned to God, and your own 
 words have no effect on them, — have you ever asked 
 God to turn them ? and if you have not, why have you 
 not, except that you did not believe that He could or 
 would listen to you? You have bad children, — cannot 
 God make them better ? but have you ever prayed for 
 them? You have sick friends, — cannot God provide 
 for them ? but have you ever asked Him to do so ? and, 
 if you have not, what is the reason ? I am afraid there 
 can be but one reason given, — want of faith. You think 
 that daily prayer in the Church is of little use, because 
 the congregation of the faithful is but small, — why do 
 you think so? want of faith again. You think that 
 prayers are a matter of instruction and profit only to 
 those who hear them ; you do not think that the prayer 
 of the two or three who are gathered together can profit 
 
INTERCESSORY PRAYERS. 301 
 
 you wlio stay away ; — why not ? God can soften your 
 hearts and make you see the necessity of more frequent 
 coming to Him; we believe that He is in the midst of 
 us when we pray^ and we ask Him to do so : why are 
 you to suppose He will not hear us ?- — we pray for the 
 sick and the distressed every day, especially and by name, 
 — cannot God hear that ? and do you suppose He will 
 not answer our prayers as is best for us and them ? If 
 you believe that, there is one use of daily prayer ; if you 
 do not believe it, where is your faith? Depend upon 
 it, faith does not mean believing that there is such a 
 Person as Christ, but believing that Christ will do 
 what He has promised to do. 
 
 This, then, is one great use of all prayer, — it makes 
 our faith more clear, we learn to have a better idea of 
 GoD^s special Providence, and to look on Him as a Fa- 
 ther Who is able and willing to help us. Prayer is a 
 test of our faith; you will always see it so. A man who 
 comes regularly to Church, in nine cases out of ten, is 
 a good man; a man who never comes to Church is al- 
 most always a bad one. There is but one reason for all 
 this, — it is a case of faith or want of faith. 
 
 LECTUEE YI. 
 
 On the Sacraments. 
 
 We have arrived now at the last division of the Cate- 
 chism, — the means by which grace is bestowed on us. 
 The most remarkable point in this is, that from the very 
 beginning of covenant with mankind, God has always 
 appointed some outward means of signifying His grace, 
 — He has always employed the agency of man, and often 
 also of elements, — and never has any manifestation of 
 Himself or of His special grace been vouchsafed to man 
 without some such intermediate cause. It is either the 
 speaking of Moses or the speaking of Joshua which 
 
3QB SACRAMENTAL INSTRUMENTS. 
 
 causes tlie sea to flow back and the sun to stand still, or 
 else it is the stroke upon the rock or the casting up of 
 ashes that brings the water or the darkness. It is as if 
 the Almighty wished to try our faith_, and to see whe- 
 ther in the lump of figs, or the anointing of clay, or the 
 handkerchiefs taken from the bodies of the Apostles, the 
 hand of the Almighty God could be discerned by the 
 eye of faith. Undoubtedly the cures were performed 
 by means of these insufficient things, — the means of 
 grace were received through the figs, the clay, and the 
 handkerchiefs ; had not those who received them pos- 
 sessed so much faith as this, they never would have been 
 cured. The manner in which they showed their faith 
 was believing that the great God Who made these things 
 at first, and endowed them with their ordinary qualities, 
 could, if He pleased, endow these same things with any 
 other qualities, and make them instrumental to the 
 carrying of His grace. 
 
 In just the same way has He dealt with us. He 
 vouchsafes to us grace sufficient to place us in a state of 
 salvation, and afterwards, notwithstanding our corrupt 
 nature, to keep us in it, and has endowed water adminis- 
 tered by one whom He has commissioned for the pur- 
 pose, as the means of the first, and bread and wine 
 similarly administered as the means of the second. The 
 water and the bread and wine without the Priest/ would 
 be of no avail to any such purpose ; nor would the Priest 
 without the consecrated elements ; and that not because 
 God could not have appointed these or any other means 
 for the conveying of His grace, but because He did not. 
 These means profit the receivers through faith; they 
 believe that by the one, God, for Christ's sake, grants 
 
 1 Whether the Church had authority to sanction lay Baptism in ex- 
 treme cases, or whether she had not, the command having been given to 
 the Apostles and their successors to the end of the world, and to none 
 others that we know of, is a point on which I am incompetent to argue. 
 I receive the tradition of the Church, and am content with it. Neither 
 will I argue the point about heretical or schismatical Baptism, where 
 there is no extreme case, or any reason for it whatever, further than to 
 observe, that the vahdity of such Baptism rests on Ti-adition alone, and 
 is at the very best exti-emely doubtfal. 
 
THE SUMMING UP. 303 
 
 remission; they believe that by the other,, God^ at 
 Christ^s intercession^ sends help and strength. And 
 according to their faith^ so it is to them. They receive 
 that which the faithless partaker^ and he who does not 
 partake at all_, does not receive. And by the outward 
 means of these elements received inwardly through 
 faith^ they first have their sins forgiven and remitted, 
 and are afterwards renewed in what points soever they 
 have failed; and are thus again set forward in their 
 Christian course. 
 
 Catechise mostly from Bevan. 
 
 We have now finished our preparations for the great 
 Communion of Easter, as taken from the Catechism ; 
 but before we finally close the subject, we will review 
 shortly the course we have followed, and the reason why 
 one principal preparation for this festival ought to be a 
 close examination of us all, communicants, I mean, as 
 well as catechumens, in this portion of our Prayer Book. 
 Easter, you know, signifies the end and object of our 
 whole lives — a communion with God at our resurrection. 
 The Catechism describes the road we must follow to at- 
 tain this. It is, as it were, the handbook of our road 
 through life, where everything that we ought to do, and 
 every advantage of which we can avail ourselves, is set 
 forth in the briefest and most distinct manner possible. 
 
 In the first division we had the covenants — our agree- 
 ment with God, and the terms, as it were, on which He 
 permits us to travel this road. These we paid especial 
 attention to, and devoted two Sundays to examining 
 them, because it is from these covenants alone that there 
 is any difi'erence between the Christian and the heathen. 
 The one is in a state of covenant, the other depends 
 upon the uncovenanted mercies of God. We saw that 
 this state of covenant, called in the Catechism ^' a state 
 of salvation,^^ consists in our having made certain pro- 
 mises to God, and God having made certain promises 
 to us — that we are admitted into it by a certain pre- 
 scribed ceremony which we call Baptism, and that we 
 continue in it only so long as we keep our share of the 
 covenants — that is to say, faith and obedience ; or re- 
 
304 THE SUMMING UP. 
 
 pentance if ever that faith and obedience should have 
 failed. 
 
 The second division explained what our faith is^ — that 
 it is not what some foolishly suppose, a mere belief that 
 Jesus Christ is a heavenly Personage, Who died that 
 we should not be punished, but a determination to re- 
 ceive whatever that heavenly Personage has delivered to 
 us, whether command, or promise, or means of grace, 
 implicitly, and as we should receive them from an Al- 
 mighty God — not asking for reasons and causes, and 
 ^' how can these things be T' but considering it quite a 
 sufficient reason that God has promised, or commanded, 
 or given in this particular way, and that He A¥ho pro- 
 mised is faithful. 
 
 The third division followed naturally from this, and 
 treated of our obedience. But on this head we have 
 little to say now, because we have enlarged so much 
 upon it on the Wednesdays and Fridays of Lent.^ We 
 will merely remark that in these two divisions of the 
 Catechism we have renewed the two promises which we 
 made to God on being taken into covenant with Him — 
 Faith and Obedience — and in the next two have exa- 
 mined the value of a promise made by Him — Grace — 
 that is to say, favour, a word signifying .either forgive- 
 ness or assistance, according to our necessities, that is, 
 according as we approach Him as guilty creatures, or 
 as frail creatures, as those who have sinned, or as those 
 who are liable to sin. 
 
 The fourth division, as we saw last Sunday, treats of 
 the means of obtaining the grace of God, which must 
 be asked for before God will give it to us, and of the 
 permission which He has granted us to address Him as 
 our Father, Whose children we were made by our adop- 
 tion in Baptism. 
 
 The last division, which we have considered to-day, 
 treats of the principal means by which God conveys to 
 us the grace we have asked for, and which He has pro- 
 mised to give us. I say the principal means, for God 
 
 ^ See questions for self-examination from the Commandments, pages 
 94—139. 
 
THE SUMMING UP. 305 
 
 has other means whicli He sometimes employs^ some of 
 which, indeed, have been called sacraments — such as 
 His Word-, the ordinance of preaching, the ordinance of 
 Confirmation, repentance and absolution, and many- 
 others. These we have passed over for want of time ; 
 but what we have considered more particularly are those 
 which the Church pronounces ^^ generally necessary,^'' 
 that is, .necessary to salvation in all Christians, and 
 which, for this reason, are distinguished above all other 
 means of grace, and are called especially the two Sacra- 
 ments. They are said to be generally necessary to sal- 
 vation — that is to say, necessary to the salvation of all 
 Christians, because they are the two things which, if we 
 do not possess, we shall not be saved ; and these Sacra- 
 ments are the only means whereby God conveys these 
 two things. One is regeneration, or a new nature which 
 is conveyed by Baptism, for manifestly our old nature 
 which was condemned in Adam is unfit for the kingdom 
 of heaven; the other is renewal, or the building up 
 again of that which has been decayed by the fraud and 
 malice of the devil, or by our own carnal will and frail- 
 ness. This is done from time to time by partaking of 
 the nature of Christ, which, according to His Word, is 
 what we do in the Lord^s Supper. And thus we are 
 kept in that state of salvation in which we have been 
 placed by Baptism, and in which we are taught in the 
 Catechism to pray that we may be continued unto our 
 life's end. 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 The modem heresy, that the Sacrament of the Loed's Supper is 
 merely a commemoration and remembrance of the Great Sacrifice of our 
 LoED, is generally attributed to Calvin, but most unjustly. The idea 
 arose probably from the notion, very commonly entertained, that the 
 alterations iu the Second Book of Edward YI. were made at Calvin's 
 suggestion, through the instrimientality of Bucer. 
 
 However this may be, the fact is, Calviu's sentiments on this great 
 
306 CALVIN AND CAROLOSTADT. 
 
 doctrine are, in many respects, precisely those held by the Primitive 
 Church and by the Church of England to tliis day. Calvin was not a 
 man to leave any doubt about his real sentiments on any subject what- 
 ever; and on this subject in particular he was likely to be precise, 
 Dupin remarks of him that "he useth very positive words to express the 
 presence of the Body and Blood of Jesus Cheist." 
 
 Calvin's sentiments on the subject are, that Jesus Cheist is united 
 to us in this Sacrament, not by fancy and imagination, nor by thought, 
 or a bare apprehension of the mind, but really and indeed by a true and 
 substantial union ; — that the manner of our receiving Christ's Body is 
 very different from the other manner of receiving Him by faith ; — that 
 this Mystery is incomprehensible, and contains in it a miracle which 
 exceeds the bounds and capacity of the mind of man, and which is the 
 work of the Almighty GrOD much above the course of nature ; — that 
 there is a Divine and supernatural change in it, which surpasses oiu* 
 sensible knowledge : — that the Flesh and Blood of Jesus Cheist are 
 truly given to the unworthy as well as to the faithful and elect, though 
 they are not received with benefit unless it be by the faithful only. 
 
 These are very remarkable expressions, and we find them confirmed 
 where we should least expect to find a confirmation of them, — in the 
 writings of Zuingli. He would never admit that he regarded the Evi- 
 charist as mere 1)read and wine. " If," said he, "bread and wine, sanc- 
 tified by the Grace of God, are distributed, is not the whole Body of 
 Cheist, as it were, sensibly given to His followers ? The unworthy sin 
 against the Body and Blood of Cheist." 
 
 The real author of this heresy, now so prevalent, was a man of very 
 little eminence among the Beformers, Andreas Bodenstein Carolostadt, 
 of whom Melancthon wi'ites thus : " He was a man of savage disposi- 
 tion, and of no genius or learning, or even common sense, who was so 
 far from havmg any marks of being influenced by the Holy Spieit, 
 that I could never observe him to practise even the ordinary duties of 
 humanity." 
 
 It was Carolostadt, not Calvin, who wrote that " the Body and Blood 
 of Jesus Cheist is not in the Sacrament, which is only a commemora- 
 tion of the Body and Blood of Cheist given and shed for us," and that 
 " these words, 'This is My Body given for you,' ' This is My Blood shed 
 for you,' have no relation to the bread and wine, but to the Body of 
 Jesus then present and visible." 
 
 No sooner was this sentiment uttered, than it was repudiated by his 
 brother Beformers. Luther's observations are very remarkable, as show- 
 ing the characteristic honesty and straightforwardness of the man. 
 
 "I neither can nor will deny," he said, " that if Carolostadt, or any 
 one else, could have persuaded me, during the last five years, that in the 
 Sacrament there is nothing but mere bread and wine, he would have 
 conferred on me a great obUgation. I have examined this matter with 
 the utmost anxiety, and with persevering dihgence. I have stretched 
 every nerve with a view to unravel this mystery, for I most clearly saw 
 that this new tenet would give me great advantages in my contests with 
 the Papacy. Moreover, I have had correspondence on this subject with 
 two persons much more acute than Carolostadt, and not at all disposed 
 to twist words from their natural meaning. But the text iu the Gospel 
 is so strong and unequivocal, that I have found myself compelled to 
 
HERETICAL OPINIONS ON THE EUCHARIST. 307 
 
 submit to its decision. Its force can be eluded in no way wbatever, 
 much less by the fictitious glosses of a giddy brain." (Eccl. Biog.) 
 
 That a heresy propounded by such a man as Carolostadt, based on so 
 manifest a perversion of the jjlain words of Scripture, and repudiated so 
 directly by every Eeformer of eminence, should have held its groimd, is 
 due entirely to its rationalistic tendencies. If any sect of Enghshmen 
 have borrowed it from G-eneva, it is from Unitarian Geneva, not Calvin's 
 G-eneva, that they have taken it. If they have received it from any of 
 Cranmer's foreign itnportations, it is certainly not from Bucer, nor from 
 Peter Martyr, but from John Alasco and the PoHsh school of incipient 
 Socinianism. They have seen, as Luther saw, the advantage which such 
 an interpretation would give them in a contest with Eome, but they had 
 not Luther's honesty to reject that, which neither the traditions of the 
 Church, nor the plain, hteral, and grammatical sense of the Scriptures 
 would warrant them in holding. 
 
S E E M O N S. 
 
 The design of tlie five following sermons is to assist 
 both catechist and catechumen in their respective labours 
 when there are no catechetical lectures. The work is 
 here reversed : in the case of the catechetical lecture 
 the subject must be given out on the preceding Sunday, 
 and during the week the catechists are preparing their 
 respective charges to answer to those questions which, 
 on the following Sunday, they may expect to have put to 
 them in church. 
 
 In this case the sermon itself is the announcement of 
 the subject for the succeeding week, and at the same time 
 an explanation of it. Sermons like these must be framed 
 on the catechetical books which the Parson has selected 
 for the use of the catechists, these he will do well to as- 
 semble after the sermon, and to point out to them how 
 such and such points which he has touched upon are 
 borne out in the different books with which he has sup- 
 plied them, pointing out in what particular this or that 
 book excels, and which of them ought to be used to 
 explain this or that topic. 
 
 There are an immense number of these books, and 
 every one will choose his own ; those which I have used 
 at one time or other are Bather^s, Bevan^s, and Sin- 
 clair's catechisms ; Blunt on '' Confirmation,'^ (Masters;) 
 Ridley on " Confirmation/' the second part, (Hughes ;) 
 Watson's " Pastor preparing his Flock for Confirmation," 
 (Eivington ;) Gresley's " Use of Confirmation," (Mas- 
 ters ;) and " Dialogues on Confirmation," (Masters.) 
 
THE COVENANT OF WOEKS. 
 
 " N"ow therefore kearken unto Me, O ye children : for blessed are all 
 they that keep My ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it 
 not."— Prov. viii. 32, 33. 
 
 The public Baptism of children is now so common an 
 occurrence in this churchy and the whole service must 
 be so perfectly familiar to the minds of all_, that it will 
 not be necessary for me to go so much into the details 
 of the service as I otherwise must have done, in order 
 to show you that_, in the education of a Christian child. 
 Baptism is the beginning, the Church Catechism the 
 model of teaching, Confirmation the arming the Lord^s 
 soldier for his warfare, and the Lord^s Supper the nou- 
 rishment or support during the fight. This is the light 
 in which these four ordinances ought to be viewed ; not 
 as so mauy distinct institutions, some of which may be 
 sought and some neglected, but as so many necessary 
 parts, — not perhaps all indispensably necessary to salva- 
 tion, for that in its strict sense can be said of the sacra- 
 ments only, but all indispensably necessary in order that 
 the man of God may be thoroughly furnished unto all 
 good works, and able in any way to understand and 
 appreciate the wonderful and mysterious blessings of the 
 sacraments themselves. For this reason it is that I have 
 had a page printed recording the four most remarkable 
 events of a Christianas life. The date of his birth into 
 the world a child of wrath, — the date of his new birth^ 
 or adoption by God in Baptism, — the date of his taking 
 God's armour, in consequence of that adoption, in Con- 
 
310 THE SPONSOR^S ENGAGEMENTS. 
 
 firmatiorij — and tlie first time tliat he partakes of that 
 True Bread that came down from heaven^ whereby^ 
 according to the words of His Saviour^ he is in Christ, 
 and Christ in him. This page I have pasted into many 
 of yonr Prayer Books, and I will paste it into all of 
 them, in order that you may all be constantly reminded 
 that no man has attained his spiritual growth, no man can 
 be other than a very babe in grace, until he has passed 
 from the first of these necessary steps up to the last.^ 
 
 At present, however, we are more concerned with the 
 link that connects the sacrament of Baptism with the 
 ordinance of Confirmation. 
 
 You may remember that, at the end of the service for 
 Baptism, the Priest exhorts the sponsors that it is ^' their 
 parts and duties to see that the child be taught the 
 Creed, the Lord^s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, 
 and all other things which a Christian ought to know 
 and believe to his souFs health f' and accordingly, when 
 the child himself comes to be old enough to see the 
 value of his privileges, the very first thing that He is 
 reminded of in Confirmation is, that '^^none may be 
 confirmed except such as can say the Creed, the Lord^s 
 Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and can also answer 
 such questions as in the Short Catechism are contained.'^ 
 
 Now, one would have thought, at first sight, that a 
 competent knowledge of Gon^s own book, the Bible, 
 were a necessary qualification; and, to those who can 
 read and understand it, it is a necessary qualification ; 
 but to read the whole of the Bible is a thing which all 
 have not done, and many cannot do ; to understand and 
 arrange its different parts, so as to make out with confi- 
 dence all that GrOD requires us to believe and to do, is 
 what very few indeed could undertake. To require that 
 would be in most cases requiring an impossibility. The 
 Church, therefore, recommends the reading of the Bible, 
 and orders it to be read all through every year ; though 
 a knowledge of it is not indispensable, no knowledge of 
 God that we can acquire is unnecessary ; in this, as in 
 other things, God requires our very best, — for Jesus 
 
 1 See form at the end of this Sermon. 
 
311 
 
 Christ^ s sake He is satisfied witli that^ imperfect as it 
 is^ but in no case can we expect Him to be satisfied with 
 less. But tbese things which the Church mentions are 
 the very least that a man can know in order to call him- 
 self a Christian, and she requires it of all alike, because 
 to the educated the Catechism is the very best Scripture 
 guide, teaching him to arrange and classify the doctrines 
 of his Bible, while to the uneducated it is a short yet 
 complete summary of his faith, his privileges, his expec- 
 tations, and his duty towards God and man. In fact, it 
 is the whole scheme of religion brought into one view, 
 and, as such, must be diligently studied by all who 
 make that solemn promise to God before His Bishop, 
 lest in their very ignorance they take His name in vain, 
 and incur to themselves damnation. This is all that is 
 necessary to salvation ; to those who have time and 
 opportunity, a knowledge of God^s dealings with man- 
 kind, as shown forth in the Bible, is also necessary, and 
 the history and development of His Church, from the 
 days of the Apostles to our own, is also necessary, and 
 a knowledge of its constitution and laws is also neces- 
 sary, while to those who are unable to pursue these stu- 
 dies they are not necessary; the only thing that is 
 required of such as these is that they should not give 
 rash opinions about what they do not understand, but 
 that they should receive with a humble and contented 
 mind the Faith once delivered to the saints, and pre- 
 served for their use by that Church which is not only a 
 witness, but a " keeper of Holy Writ.^^ 
 
 Some people have called the Catechism a difficult 
 thing to understand. To understand the dealings of an 
 Infinite God, no doubt requires diligence and attention 
 from us. No one will understand that, or anything 
 else, who does not wish to understand it ; but those who 
 do wish, and who do try their best, will not find it so 
 very difficult a task, however ignorant they may be. 
 
 In order that we may have a distinct view of the Chris- 
 tian scheme of salvation as set forth in the Catechism, 
 it will be expedient to divide the Catechism itself into 
 five heads. In the first are set forth the covenants be- 
 
312 THE HISTORY OF THE CATECHISM. 
 
 tween God on the one part and ourselves on the other^ 
 and in this we shall find that our part of that covenant 
 is to believe and to obey. This leads us to the second 
 and third heads_, in the first of which, the Creed and the 
 explanatory questions that follow it, we learn what to 
 believe; in the second, the Commandments, and our 
 Saviour^s own division of them, viz., our duty towards 
 God and our duty towards our neighbour, we learn what 
 to obey. Then comes the natural question, — We have 
 promised on our parts to believe and to obey, can we do 
 what we have promised? Certainly not, without help 
 from God ; and this leads us to the fourth head. Prayer, 
 as explained by the Lord^s Prayer and the question that 
 follows it. Lastly, what are the ordinary channels of 
 GoD^s grace, and the means whereby we are joined and 
 kept in the holy fellowship with Christ, wherein we 
 hope to be saved ? This brings us to the fifth and last 
 head — the blessed Sacraments. I will sum up the five 
 heads in a few words, — it is briefly this : 1, our Pro- 
 mises ; 2, our Faith ; 3, our Duty ; 4, our privilege of 
 Prayer ; 5, our means of Grace. 
 
 On the history of the Catechism much need not be 
 said. The custom of public catechising is as old as the 
 time of the Apostles, and probably much older, for we 
 remember how our Saviour was employed in the temple 
 with the doctors, both hearing them and asking them 
 questions — that is, catechising them and being cate- 
 chised; but this had gradually fallen into disuse, and 
 it is remarkable that the dominion of Popery increased 
 as the custom of catechetical teaching was neglected. 
 Our present Catechism is but of modern date, compared 
 with the greater part of the Prayer Book ; the four first 
 heads were drawn up by Cranmer and Ridley, about 300 
 years ago, were accepted by convocation, received by 
 Parliament, and were added with the King's consent to 
 the Confirmation service ; this was done for the reason 
 I have before given, — lest those who went to be con- 
 firmed should in their ignorance take God's name in vain. 
 The fifth head was drawn up by Bishop Overal, at the 
 command of James I., about fifty years afterwards; it 
 
THE COVENANT OF WORKS. 313 
 
 was taken mostly from an early letter of Eidley to Cran- 
 mer_, which had been preserved^ and the whole Catechism 
 was then disjointed from the Confirmation service^ and 
 placed in the position it now occupies in the Prayer Book. 
 We will now examine these five heads more in detail ; 
 but throughout the whole of this course of lectures you 
 must never forget that the particular head on which we 
 may happen to be treating is but a part of the whole^ 
 and that the Christian scheme of salvation is incomplete 
 unless we consider the whole five as connected together. 
 Under the first head we must consider^ — 1. Man^s 
 original state; 2. Man^s fallen state; 3. The Christian 
 Covenant for his recovery and salvation ; — and this cove- 
 nant we must consider in two lights : lst_, its privileges,, 
 viz.^ to be made members of Christ^ children of God, and 
 inheritors of the kingdom of heaven, — or, in other words, 
 forgiveness of past sins, present grace, and future glory : 
 and, 2nd, its duties, viz.. Repentance, Faith, Obedience. 
 I. The Covenant of Works. 
 
 God, we are told, created man in His own image, after 
 His own likeness. Now our Saviour says that God is 
 a Spirit. And in another place He says, " a Spirit hath 
 not flesh and bones as ye see Me have.^^ It is evident 
 then that the likeness between man and his Creator lay 
 in the soul or spirit, which, after God, was created pure, 
 holy, just, and good ; or as S. Paul expresses it, ^' created 
 in righteousness and true holiness.^' While man was 
 in this state God placed him in a pleasant abode, and 
 made a covenant with him. This was the Covenant of 
 Works. That you may understand these things the 
 better, let us here pause to consider what a covenant is 
 — a covenant is an agreement between two parties, both 
 of whom make promises ; consequently, if either side 
 break those promises, the covenant is at an end ; for 
 instance, if I hire a man to do a piece of work, I make 
 a covenant with him. That is to say, I promise him 
 money, and he promises me work. Now it is clear 
 enough that if I give him no money I have no right to 
 claim his work, even though he promised it to me. 
 Nor, on the other hand, can he claim my promise, the 
 
 p 
 
314 MAN^S FALLEN STATE. 
 
 money, unless lie performs his, tlie work. This was 
 exactly the case with our first parents in Paradise. God 
 and they were parties to a covenant, God promised them 
 happiness and immortality, they promised to God obe- 
 dience generally, and particularly obedience with respect 
 to the Tree of Knowledge. The result is well known. 
 Our first parents broke their promises, and in conse- 
 quence forfeited God^s promise, and the covenant of 
 works came to an end. 
 
 II. Man^s Fallen State. 
 
 We have next to consider man in. his fallen state ; he 
 had now, under the terms of the covenant, forfeited all 
 right by promise to eternal happiness ; but beyond that 
 he had contracted such a blindness in the understanding, 
 such a disorder in the will and afiections as all his pos- 
 terity must feel, for the Scriptures tell us that Adam 
 begat a son not in the likeness in which he was created, 
 that is to say, not in God's likeness, but in his oz^;/* like- 
 ness, with such a depraved nature as his was now be- 
 come. And this was but natural and inevitable; in 
 common life, when a father squanders his fortune, his 
 children become poor. When a father forfeits his here- 
 ditary honours his children lose theirs ; they suflPer for 
 their father^ s fault. And was not this precisely the case 
 with our first parents ? had they not squandered their aU 
 to gratify their present wishes ? had they not forfeited 
 the honours to which God had created them ? How then 
 could it be otherwise? Adam begat a son in his own 
 likeness; in the body subject to sickness, pain, and 
 death ; in the soul to grief, shame, remorse, and sin. 
 
 Now this being begotten after Adam's likeness, is what 
 we call Original or Birth Sin ; it may be defined as the 
 habit or temper of mind, which renders sin pleasant 
 to us, and gives strength to temptations ; it is this which 
 leads a man into actual sin, and actual sin, when fre- 
 quently indulged in, becomes confirmed and habitual sin. 
 It is easy to distinguish these difierent kinds of sin, by 
 giving an example or two. To tell a lie is actual sin ; to 
 be inclined to tell lies, whether you teU them or no, is 
 original sin ; to steal is actual sin ; to wish to take your 
 
THE MEANS OF RECOVERY. 315 
 
 neighbour's property_, thougli you do not take it^ is ori- 
 ginal sin. Again, to tell a lie once_, or to steal once_, is 
 actual sin ; to tell lies often^ to steal often_, is habitual 
 sin ; habit is strengthened by repeated acts ; i.e., habitual 
 sin is original sin, encouraged by actual sin. The oftener 
 a man tells lies, the more he is inclined to tell them. The 
 oftener a man steals, the more he is inclined to steal. 
 That is, he becomes a confirmed liar or a confirmed thief. 
 What we should draw from this is, that there is in man a 
 something more than the mere following of Adam, and 
 imitating him in his actual sin. There is a propensity 
 or inclination to sin, which we derive from the circum- 
 stance of being begotten by him, at the time when he 
 was deprived of God's protection. We therefore have 
 an evil in our nature, which, when he committed his sin, 
 he had not, but which he acquired by committing it. 
 " Man,''^ says the Ninth Article of the Church, ^^ is very 
 far gone from original righteousness, and is of his own 
 nature inclined to evil.^^ 
 
 This part of the subject admits of logical proof. To 
 imagine that God could take a pleasure in the commis- 
 sion of sin, or could wish to commit sin, would be not 
 only blasphemous, but absurd. And if man were still 
 in the likeness of God, it would be equally absurd to 
 imagine that he could feel pleasure in sinning. Yet we 
 feel that we all have a desire to sin, and that the only 
 reason why we are restrained, is a sense of duty. There- 
 fore we are not like God ; but as we once were like 
 God, our nature must have become corrupted between 
 that -time and this. 
 
 It was very necessary that we should have a clear 
 notion of this before we attempt to understand the Cate- 
 chism. The catechism explains the means which God 
 in Christ has vouchsafed, whereby we are freed from the 
 bondage of original sin ; by the intercession of Christ, 
 God does pardon actual sin, on our repentance ; by the 
 operation of the Holy Ghost, God does sometimes, 
 though rarely, root out habitual sin ; but the grand vic- 
 tory of Christ, whereby He led captivity captive, and 
 brought gifts to men, was over original sin ; i.e., incli- 
 
 p2 
 
316 th'e means of recovery. 
 
 nation to sin ; He created ns afresh in His Own image, 
 ^^as many as were baptized into Christ, put on Christ." 
 He took the heavy yoke of sin from off our necks, and 
 this, not by destroying original sin, for we still feel, and 
 must feel, a " law in our members warring against the 
 law of our mind ;" but by giving us a heavenly grace 
 whereby we may eflPectually withstand it. Had Christ 
 not died for us, we could not have withstood this desire 
 of sinning. As Christ has died for us we can, and this 
 is what is meant by '^ leading captivity captive ;" i.e., 
 subduing that which subdued us. 
 
 This is what we caU the Covenant of Grace ; but of 
 this we will speak more at large in the next lecture, at 
 present let us see the consolation it afforded to Adam in 
 his fallen state, for even to him was promised that (in 
 consideration of a Redeemer, one of the seed of the wo- 
 man, who should make full satisfaction to the Divine 
 justice for the transgression, and who should bruise the 
 head, that is, break the power of that serpent the devil,) 
 he should be forgiven. The fathers, that is to say, the 
 Patriarchs of the Old Testament, did not look for tran- 
 sitory promises. The promise was the same to them as 
 it is to us. Christ died for them as He did for us. 
 The only difference in that particular is, they hoped it, 
 we know it. 
 
 Before we come to speak more particularly of the cove- 
 nant of grace, it may be as well to state shortly, in the 
 words of Bishop Wilson, the means whereby this new 
 covenant was effected, and the sacrifice which it required. 
 
 We have reason to believe that it was more fully ex- 
 plained to Adam and Eve, than is set down in the short 
 account given by Moses, and more after the manner in 
 which it is explained to us in the Gospel. That on con- 
 dition of their sincere repentance and sincere obedience 
 afterwards, they should be restored to the favour of God, 
 and, after death, to that life and happiness, which in 
 their state of innocence, was promised to them without 
 tasting death ; but this privilege they had forfeited by 
 their disobedience. 
 
 And when we consider that our first parents, now be- 
 come sinners, stood in need of an atonement, without 
 
SACRIFICES. 317 
 
 which, while under the displeasure of God_, their very 
 lives must be a burden, — and it being decreed by Gron, 
 as it afterwards appeared, that without shedding of 
 blood there was no remission of sin, — that is, without 
 the death of the sinner, or some one in his stead, — we 
 do therefore conclude that at this time God did appoint 
 sacrifices, or sin-offerings, for the purpose of making an 
 atonement for the soul, and thus foreshowing the sacri- 
 fice of the Lord Jesus Christ, as we commemorate it, 
 now that it has taken place, by the Lord^s Supper. 
 
 And this appears by what follows in the next chapter 
 of Genesis, where we find Abel by faith (that is, believ- 
 ing and depending upon this ordinance of God for the 
 remission of sins until the promised Eedeemer should 
 come) offering a sacrifice which was acceptable to God, 
 — that is, a sin-offering, — which his brother not doing, 
 was rejected. The sin of Cain was precisely the same 
 as the sin of those who neglect the Lord^s Supper, and 
 yet worship Him in some fashion of their own. Cain 
 worshipped God, for we find he offered of the first-fruits 
 of the ground, but he did not worship God by the typical 
 sacrifice of the death of Christ, — i.e., the shedding of 
 blood, as God pointed out, — therefore his worship, such 
 as it was, was refused. I think from this rejection of 
 Cain, through his offering up his own sacrifices, and not 
 those of the Lord^s appointment, we have great reason 
 to fear lest those who are content to worship God now 
 after their own fashion, and not in the Sacrament given 
 us by the Lord, will be rejected also. 
 
 But here we must take particular notice that these 
 sacrifices, though called sin-offerings, could not in them- 
 selves take away sin, any more than the Lord^s Supper 
 can take away sin. They were the outward visible sign, 
 and they took away sin only through obedience to the 
 ordinance of God, and through faith in the promised seed. 
 
 They were indeed very instructive and proper to lead 
 sinners to repentance, when they saw that their sins 
 could not be forgiven but by the death of an innocent 
 creature, bleeding and dying before their eyes, to make 
 an atonement for sin ; for it pleased God then, as now, 
 to make the means which He chose for conveying His 
 
318 MAN HAD BEEN TRIED AND HAD FAILED. 
 
 grace to the penitent sinner^ — the means of his instruc- 
 tion also. The means of grace in the Old Covenant 
 typified the death of Christ only; the means of grace 
 in the New Covenant typify not only the breaking of 
 Christ^s Body and the pouring out of His Blood_, but 
 the strength also which we receive thereby. 
 
 And as all good men^ before the coming of Christ, did 
 most religiously keep np the remembrance of the pro- 
 mised seed, and obtained pardon of their sins and accept- 
 ance upon offering sacrifices through faith in a Redeemer 
 which was to come, — so all Christians, now that He is 
 come, are obliged, as they hope for pardon and favour 
 from God, to keep up the remembrance of God^s great 
 mercy in sending us a Redeemer, by using the appointed 
 means to show the Lord^s death till He comes. 
 
 Before the Covenant of Grace was given to man, he 
 had been already tried in all conditions : first in a state 
 of innocence, then under the government of his own 
 reason, and lastly, under the law of Moses, — that is to 
 say, instruction without special help of the Holy Ghost ; 
 and in all these he had failed, and it was not until they 
 had failed that God sent His beloved Son to take our 
 nature upon Him. This was the promised seed, — pro- 
 mised to Adam as He that should break the serpent's 
 head. — promised to Abraham as He in Whom all the 
 nations of the earth should be blessed, — promised to the 
 people of Israel as the Lawgiver like unto Moses, — pro- 
 mised to David as He Whose kingdom should have no 
 end. And, indeed, it was with these promises that God 
 supp< ned the spirits of all who feared Him until the 
 fulness of time for His appearance should come. 
 
 And now that He is come. He has appeared in all 
 those characters typified and predicted. First, He 
 showed, by His own example recorded in the Gospel, 
 how men ought to live so as to please God ; and then, 
 the law of nature as well as the law of Moses Laving 
 through sin been much obscured and perverted. He ex- 
 plained them, and gave ns such other laws and rules as 
 were necessary to fit ns for happiness. 
 
 And because, in the decrees of God, without shedding 
 of blood there was no remission of sin, He clothed Him- 
 
MAN HAD BEEN TRIED AND HAD FAILED. 
 
 319 
 
 self with our fleshy that as man He might suffer what 
 our sins had deserved^ and_, as God_, might make suitable 
 satisfaction to Divine justice^ offering Himself a sacri- 
 fice for the sins of the whole world. By this sacrifice 
 He led captivity captive, — that is_, He overcame the 
 power which was possessed by original sin to lead us^ 
 whether we would or no, into the commission of actual 
 sin: and He obtained gifts for men, — that is, He ob- 
 tained for theipi a new covenant, or agreement with God, 
 called the Covenant of Grace. 
 
 The nature of the covenant so obtained, and the reason 
 why it is called the Covenant of Grace, shall be the sub- 
 j ect of the next lecture. 
 
 Form of the 'page referred to at page 310. 
 
 THB 
 
 33rjofe of Common ^ram 
 
 THE 
 
 INTERPRETER OF THE WORD OF GOD. 
 
 This Book is full of precious store, 
 
 Pearls of great price are here ; 
 Read it, and you will love it more 
 
 Each day, each month, each year. 
 Think not because it gives no heat 
 
 To hearts grown cold and dead. 
 It cannot gnide the wanderer's feet. 
 
 Nor smooth the Christian's bed. 
 O yes, 'twill teach the infant tongue 
 
 To sing glad songs of praise ; 
 'Twill teach the careless and the young 
 
 To find out wisdom's ways ; 
 'Twin be a help to mothers mild. 
 
 To fathers kind and true ; 
 'TwiU help each wayward, erring child,- 
 
 Therefore 'tis fit for you. 
 
 I, 
 Being by nature born in sia the day 
 
 of A.D. was by Baptism 
 
 made a child of grace on the day 
 
 of A.D. and having been 
 
 Confirmed on the day of 
 
 A.D. received the Holy Communion 
 
 for the first time on the day of 
 
II. 
 
 THE COVENANT OP GEACE. 
 
 " Now therefore hearken unto Me, O ye children : for blessed are aU 
 they that keep My ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it 
 not."— Prov. viii. 32, 33. 
 
 Having already considered,, the nature and meaning 
 of the word covenant ; the original state of man ; the 
 covenant of works ; the breach of it ; the fallen state of 
 man; the meaning of original sin; and the means 
 whereby a fresh covenant was obtained for us ; we have 
 now to examine the conditions and privileges of that 
 covenant^ which^ as the conditions of it are of more im- 
 mediate and practical importance to us, will probably 
 require a more minute examination. We have seen 
 that it is called the covenant of grace. Now this name 
 was given it partly because it was granted us for no 
 merits or deservings of ours, but out of God's free grace 
 or goodness ; and partly because free grace or help from 
 God is one of the privileges we enjoy by being members 
 of it. It is also called the Christian covenant, becausCj 
 as we saw in the last lecture, it was purchased for us by 
 the death of Christ. 
 
 That we may not use any word without first perfectly 
 understanding its meaning, let us see what is meant by 
 the word privilege, as we say that we eiajoj the privileges 
 of the covenant. A privilege is the power of doing 
 something which others are not allowed to do, or of en- 
 joying something which others are not allowed to enjoy. 
 When a person allows me to walk in his grounds, or to 
 
CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGES. 321 
 
 take fruit and flowers from his garden^ when he does 
 not allow all people to do so, he gives me a privilege ; 
 and thus_, when God gives privileges to those whom He 
 makes partakers of the covenant of grace, He means that 
 He gives these people some right, or some enjoyment 
 which He does not give to everybody. He gives light, 
 and warmth, and health, and strength to everybody : 
 but the privileges of the Christian covenant He keeps 
 for Christians, and for Christians only. 
 
 Now, what are these privileges ? The second answer 
 in the Catechism will tell you. They are being '^^ mem- 
 bers of Christ, children of God, and inheritors of the 
 kingdom of heaven." 
 
 This last we will explain first — not, indeed, because it 
 is of the least importance, for it is, in fact, the end and 
 object of the other two privileges; but because it is 
 easiest understood. Everybody knows that to inherit is 
 to obtain something after death : and this we, as Chris- 
 tians, may interpret two ways, both of which are true — 
 either that we, upon Christ^s death, naturally succeed 
 to His kingdom, the Church — if we take the kingdom 
 of heaven in that sense — or else, which I take to be the 
 best way of reading it, that we now enjoy the prospect 
 of going to heaven after our own death. We cannot go 
 now before we die, for God will not falsify His own 
 Word. He said to Adam, '^ Dust thou art, and unto 
 dust thou shalt return." We must pass through the 
 gates of death ; but still, to go to heaven at all is a very 
 great blessing ; to be assured of it in this life is a very 
 great privilege. It is a wonderful consolation in our 
 afflictions, and help in our trials. It is a privilege that 
 none can enjoy except Christians, who alone know that 
 the Captain of their salvation, in a body like their own, 
 has already risen ; and they enjoy it, not from their own 
 knowledge, but because God has elected them as fit 
 persons to whom to reveal it. What and how great this 
 privilege is, none can perfectly understand until they 
 shall see God face to face, and know, even as they are 
 known. Some idea we may form if we think on those 
 whom we love best, and imagine what it would be to live 
 
 p 3 
 
322 CHURCH MEMBERSHIP. 
 
 in a coTintry_, every inliabitant of wMch is as dear to iis 
 as they are; or even_, were we to think of this earthy 
 and reflect what it would be were every bad passion^ and 
 every wicked tongue^ and deceitful heart banished out 
 of it ; still this is but a weak and imperfect idea^ for we 
 cannot^ and in this life never shall^ understand the en- 
 joyment which flows from God^s immediate presence, 
 from seeing Him face to face. This is the great privi- 
 lege we as Christians enjoy. It is revealed to us that 
 we are " inheritors of the kingdom of heaven." 
 
 But not only is the end or object revealed to us. We 
 know the means also. We are "members of Christ/^ 
 and " children of God." The blessings of Church mem- 
 bership, the advantages and privileges which the Church 
 enjoys by being members of Christ, and which those 
 do not enjoy who are not members of Him, is a thing at 
 these times but little understood and valued. And yet 
 it is not for want of Christ's explaining it. He calls 
 Himself the Bridegroom, and the Church His Bride. 
 He calls Himself the Vine, and the Church the branches. 
 He calls Himself the Head, and the Church the body. 
 And each one individual churchman, among the millions 
 of others in all parts of the world — every one of you who 
 now hear me, and have once been baptized in that font 
 — members, limbs, that is, of that body, of which the 
 Holy God of heaven is Himself the Head. This is a 
 thing which few of us understand and value as we ought ; 
 but I believe that we do not appreciate it only because 
 we do not rightly understand it. 
 
 You understand the m.eaning of a society or club for 
 mutual assistance. Many of you belong to one. You 
 see how it works ; you know how benefits and advan- 
 tages are enjoyed by belonging to a society which none 
 of you could enjoy were you each one for himself. You 
 understand the rules, the laws, the stewards, the officers. 
 You have meeting days ; some of you have festival days. 
 You see honorary members, belonging to the society 
 like any other members, deriving themselves no benefit 
 from the society, yet supporting and upholding it in its 
 difficulties. Why can you not from this form some idea 
 
CHILDREN OF GOD. 323 
 
 of that great and magnificent society — God^s Holy Ca- 
 tliolic Churcli ? Why can you not see the blessedness 
 of being members? The mutual help and assistance 
 which we derive from our membership ? The necessity 
 of its laws and rules — the Prayer Book^ Articles^ and 
 Canons? The use of its officers and stewards — the 
 stewards of God^s Word and mysteries? Its days of 
 meeting — Sundays? Its festival days — the Holy Com- 
 munion? And God forbid that I should compare to 
 anything mortal,, any thing of earthy the Great Head of 
 our Society^ Who alone derives no benefit from it^ yet 
 Who alone supports and upholds it ; yet^ can you not 
 form some idea^ however faint and imperfect^ of Christ 
 labouring for the Churchy strengthening and comforting 
 the Church, permitting Himself, Almighty and Eternal 
 as He is, to be called one with the Church, from remem- 
 bering those who in our little societies try, as He has 
 - commanded them, to follow His example ? 
 
 But we are also the "children of God/'' Now there 
 are three kinds of sonship, by creation, by adoption, and 
 by generation. To be God^s Son by generation, as we 
 are the children of our natural fathers, can be said of 
 Christ alone, and you will remember He is called in 
 the Nicene Creed the only-begotten Son of God. To 
 be GoD^s sons by creation, is what may be said of all 
 mankind. But to be God^s sons by adoption is the 
 privilege of Christ^s Church and of none else. A child 
 is said to be adopted when he is taken into a family to 
 which he does not naturally belong, and is treated by 
 them as a son. In this sense, we who have been bap- 
 tized into Christ^s Church are treated by God. We 
 are regarded by Him as sons, co-heirs with His only be- 
 gotten Son Jesus Christ. '^ Ye are all children of God,^^ 
 says S. Paul, " by faith in Christ Jesus : for as many as 
 have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ.^^ 
 
 These then are the three privileges of the churchman ; 
 for the past, forgiveness, for the present, grace, for the 
 future, glory. And thus in relation to past, present, and 
 future does the Church always remember them ; at bap- 
 tism the Priest prays for the person baptized, that our 
 
324 THE COVENANT OF GRACE. 
 
 Lord Jesus Christ would vouclisafe to release him of 
 his sins past, to sanctify him with the Holy Ghost now, 
 and to give him the kingdom of heaven and everlasting 
 life at some future time. And again^ in the Holy Com- 
 munion^ the Priest beseeches Gron to pardon and deliver 
 His people from all their sins^ past, to confirm and 
 strengthen them in all goodness, now, and to bring them 
 to everlasting life^ at some future time. 
 
 To show yon how our duties^ that is the fulfilment of 
 our promises to God, correspond with the fulfilment of 
 GoD^s promises to ns_, I will repeat them again. For 
 the past, forgiveness, for the present, grace or help, for 
 the future, happiness. Now see how our promises fit in 
 as it were to these, for the past, repentance, for the 
 present, faith, for the future, obedience. 
 
 And this is the covenant of grace. Forgiveness, help, 
 and happiness, on God^s part; repentance, faith, and 
 obedience, on ours. It is called the covenant of grace, 
 because God gave it to us of His own goodness, and not 
 for our deserts ; it is called also the Christian covenant, 
 because Christ died to obtain it. 
 
 Now remember this is not simply a promise fi'om God, 
 but a covenant : and we said in the last lecture that a 
 covenant implied two persons or parties each making 
 promises to the other, and that the covenant came 
 necessarily to an end if either party broke their word ; 
 remember how we compared it to a master hiring a ser- 
 vant. That the servant was not bound to work unless 
 the master paid, and similarly, that the master was not 
 bound to pay unless the servant worked. Remember 
 too, how the first covenant, the covenant of works came 
 to an end. Man broke his promise, and God^s Truth 
 was no longer bound by His. And then ask yourselves 
 whether you can reasonably expect the Covenant of 
 Grace to stand on a different footing. It is far more 
 favourable to ns no doubt, because we have forgiveness 
 for the past, and grace or help for the present, because 
 we are members of Christ, and children of God ; but it 
 is on the same footing, it is still a covenant, and if we 
 break our promises, God gives up His. By baptism we 
 
CHRISTIAN ALLEGIANCE. 325 
 
 are to Christ what tlie liand or tlie foot is to the head, 
 but the foot may be cut oflP, or the hand may be cut off, 
 and if incurably diseased, it must be cut off ; and if the 
 hand or foot be cut off, it will die, though the body lives, 
 so shall we die if we members be cut off from Christ. 
 
 Again, as Christ is the head of the Church, and we 
 churchmen are its members ; so the Queen is the head 
 of the State, and we Englishmen are the members of 
 the State. Now what is the consequence of a citizen 
 renouncing his allegiance ? He is put out of the Sove- 
 reign's protection, he ceases to be a member of the state, 
 he loses all the privileges of citizenship, and is tempo- 
 rally ruined. And what is the consequence of the 
 churchman renouncing allegiance to his Head? he is 
 put out of Christ's protection, he ceases to be a member 
 of the Church, he loses the privileges of churchmanship, 
 and he is ruined everlastingly. A man may fall away 
 after baptism, and though God is very merciful, and 
 uses every means to call him back, yet there is some- 
 where a limit to His mercy. Our continued sin against 
 continued warnings, is called sin against the Holy 
 Gthost j it shows that we have renounced our allegiance. 
 And be assured we do renounce allegiance to our Lord 
 and Saviour Jesus Christ, unless we do both in word 
 and in deed, openly before the Bishop and the Church 
 with our mouth, and secretly before our God and our 
 conscience in our life, ^' renounce the de^dl and all his 
 works, the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, and 
 all the sinful lusts of the flesh, believe all the articles of 
 the Christian faith, and obey God's holy will and com- 
 mandments, and walk in the same all the days of our 
 lives." 
 
 Before we go on to the second division of the Cate- 
 chism, Faith, which we shall do in the next lectui'e, we 
 will examine the only point in the first division which 
 has not yet been treated of, and that is the means by 
 which we enter into this blessed covenant. We enter it 
 by baptism, "Baptism doth save us," says S. Peter, that 
 is, of course, puts us in the way of salvation, for we have 
 seen that we may be cut off from the Church after we 
 
326 THE VALUE OF THE OUTWARD SIGN. 
 
 have been adopted into it^ as easily as the hand may be 
 cat off from the body. And this baptism is far more 
 than the outward sign^ far more than the '^ putting away 
 the filth of the flesh/' it is "the answer of a good con- 
 science towards God f that is to say, (for nothing in 
 this life is intrinsically good), the answer of a conscience 
 now freed from the cnrse of original sin. The outward 
 sign derives its whole value from the simple circum- 
 stance, that Christ appointed it to be the means of con- 
 veying so great a grace. It is of value, of infinite value, 
 but it derives it all from Him Who stamped it with that 
 value, and left it to us, the representative of Himself, 
 who alone is the door, the way, and the life. Any thing 
 else might have had that same value had Christ so 
 pleased, just as any other river might have cured Naa- 
 man the Syrian, had it so pleased God ; but it did please 
 Him to give us this, let ns accept it and be thankful. 
 And let us accept it in its fulness j Christ has called it 
 being born again, " except ye be born of water and the 
 Spirit, ye shall not see God,'' Christ does not tell you 
 which is the most necessary, the outward sign or the in- 
 ward grace, but He says that both are indispensable, 
 and that without both you shall not see God. This is 
 being born again, it is being admitted into the society 
 of Christ and all its privileges, created anew in God's 
 image as Adam was at first. In token of yonr being 
 born again you have a new name given you, it is called 
 your Christian name, and it is given you at the time 
 when you are made members of Christ, children of 
 God, and inheritors of the kingdom of heaven. 
 
 It cannot be difficult for you to understand the value 
 of an outward sign, if you remember our old illustra- 
 tion, a Friendly Society. What is the real value of the 
 card which you receive on admission to the Friendly 
 Society ? next to nothing — and yet the possession of it 
 makes all the difference between receiving the full bene- 
 fits, and receiving nothing. The moment before you 
 receive it you are like any one else, the moment after 
 you receive it you are entitled to relief in sickness, old 
 age, and death. So it is in baptism ; the sprinkling of 
 
INFANT BAPTISM. 327 
 
 water is to tlie Christian covenant what the card is to 
 the Friendly Society — the sign of admission. When 
 you have received it you are admitted^ and do enjoy the 
 privileges which before you did not enjoy. And thus it 
 is that in the baptism of grown persons^ such as we read 
 of in the Testament,, the change is immediate. Re- 
 member the jailor at Philippic remember Saul ; we 
 have no one single instance of conversion in the New 
 Testament without baptism^ because Christ had ap- 
 pointed baptism as the outward sign by which they 
 received the grace that worked these wonders. 
 
 But can they be received without faith ? surely not^ 
 there can be no act of religion without faith. 
 
 Why then are children baptized^ when by reason of 
 their tender age they cannot have faith ? 
 
 Can you see no difference between a man coming 
 doubtfully and distrustfully^ with sins on his conscience, 
 and unbelief in his heart, and a child incapable of re- 
 ceiving any impressions ? Will you limit Gon^s mer- 
 cies, and say man must understand before God will give 
 help ? The faithless and the unbelieving receive bap- 
 tism though to their loss, but the child is not faithless. 
 The child is not unbelieving^ he is merely unconscious, 
 and if the child should die, is it justice to punish it in 
 its innocence, because it is incapable of understanding 
 what faith is ? 
 
 Depend upon it, it is not justice, neither is it Gon^s 
 doing. What He says is. Suffer little children to come 
 unto Me, and forbid them not. 
 
 But how is it done? Faith is necessary; but the 
 child, though not an unbeliever, cannot possess it. 
 How ? because Gob takes it for granted that he will 
 have faith, and gives him the grace necessary for him 
 beforehand. Did you never yourselves buy an article 
 upon credit? God gives His grace upon credit, He 
 requires faith — absolutely requires it ; but God is merci- 
 fully pleased to wait that He may be gracious ; He 
 admits the child into covenant at once, because it is 
 necessary to his salvation ; and while he is a child He 
 takes his faith for granted. If, when he grows up and 
 
328 THE WAY OF ESCAPE. 
 
 is capable of understanding it_, he has faith^ God con- 
 firms him ; if he has not, God cuts him off from the 
 covenant of grace. 
 
 It is true that in children we cannot see the imme- 
 diate effects of this grace^ nor ought we to expect to see 
 them. This sacrament is pre-eminently called the sa- 
 crament of faith. We cannot see its effects_, and we 
 must be content to wait for them. See how it is with 
 the natural man. The child^ in its weak and tender 
 body^ has all the elements of manly strength. We 
 know^ for we see it every day^ that without any fresh 
 gift from God, without anything beyond what He gave 
 it at its natural birth_, the child will one day grow up to 
 the strength and beauty of manhood. So also with its 
 spiritual strength. As its natural strength was given in 
 its natural birth, though we see it not, so is its spiritual 
 strength given in its spiritual birth, though, in like 
 manner, we see it not. They grow together ; they in- 
 crease together, till when the body reaches its natural 
 stature, and the passions their natural growth, then also 
 does the Spirit of God in the soul reach its full deve- 
 lopment. As we can, and often do, ourselves impair 
 or destroy our natural strength, so we may, if we please, 
 impair or destroy our spiritual strength. But, if unim- 
 paired, each will grow up, as it were, naturally, so as to 
 be sufficient, the one for our bodily, the other for our 
 spiritual wants. 
 
 This is the way of escape which God has made pro- 
 portioned to the temptation He lays upon us. This is 
 the help which we, as churchmen, are privileged to call 
 for, and which God in our Baptism has covenanted to 
 send. By this we are more than conquerors through 
 Christ, Who strengtheneth us. This is the greatest 
 earthly privilege of the covenant of grace, that " they 
 that are with us are more than they that are with 
 them f' that " we can do all things through Christ that 
 strengtheneth us.^^ And this is the covenant which our 
 godfathers and godmothers have made in our name, 
 when as yet we were unable to do or think anything for 
 ourselves. ^' Do you not, therefore, think that you are 
 
THE WAY OF ESCAPE. 329 
 
 bound to believe and to do as tbey have promised for 
 you ? Yes_, verilvj, and by God^s belp^ so we will ; and 
 we heartily thank our heavenly Father^ that He hath 
 called us to this state of salvation_, through Jesus 
 Christ our Saviour : and we pray unto God to give us 
 His grace^ that we may continue in the same unto our 
 lifers end/^ This is the Churches doctrine — continue in 
 the same. There is no fresh act of grace — there is no 
 second forgiveness of sins — until that fearful day when 
 we shall be judged according to our works^ and (may it 
 be our case) Christ shall take away the handwriting 
 that is against us. 
 
 There is but one Baptism for the remission of sins ; 
 still, by earnest prayer you may obtain a continuance 
 and renewal of that grace according to our Lord^s own 
 promise — " If ye, being evil, know how to give good 
 gifts unto your children, how much more shall your 
 heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to His adopted 
 children that ask Him.^'' Ask Him, therefore, in the 
 words which the Bishop will soon offer for you, to 
 defend you, who are by Baptism His children, with His 
 heavenly grace, that you may continue His for ever, 
 and daily increase in His Holy Spirit more and more, 
 till you come to His everlasting kingdom through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord, to Whom with the Father and the 
 Holy Ghost, be aU honour and glory, world without 
 end. Amen, 
 
III. 
 
 FAITH, OR THE CEEEDS. 
 
 " He tliat believeth not shall be damned." — S. Mark xvi. 16. 
 
 This text, we must remember, is intended for Chris- 
 tians, for those who have the offer of salvation made to 
 them. We need not make a stumbling-block of the 
 heathens, whom this text does not concern at all, — but 
 among us, among those to whom the Christian covenant 
 is offered, he who belie veth and is baptized shall be 
 saved, and he that believeth not, whether he has or has 
 not been baptized, shall be damned. 
 
 And this is perfectly consistent with justice. 
 
 We have seen that, in order to enjoy the blessings 
 promised by God in the Covenant of Grace, — namely, 
 forgiveness for the past, assistance for the present, and 
 happiness for the future, — it is absolutely necessary that 
 we in our turn should keep our own promises, and that 
 those promises are, repentance for the past, faith for the 
 present, and obedience for the future ; but as no one 
 can well mistake what repentance is, the Catechism does 
 not explain it any farther, but confines itself to the two 
 other promises, which are not so easy to understand. 
 We likewise will dismiss the subject with but two 
 observations. The first is, that repentance, to be re- 
 pentance at all, must mean also amendment, because no 
 man can really be sorry for a thing which he goes to do 
 again directly; and the second is, that repentance is just 
 as necessary to salvation as either faith or obedience, 
 for we are told, '' Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise 
 
WHAT BELIEVING REALLY MEANS. 331 
 
 perish.^^ The next promise^ however^ — faitli, — ^requires 
 more consideration. Faith is also necessary to salva- 
 tion^ for we read onr Saviour^ s own assurance of that 
 in the text, " He that believeth not shall be damned." 
 Now this is an assurance given at a very solemn time, 
 and on a very important occasion. Christ was ordain- 
 ing His Apostles, and telling them the conditions of his 
 Gospel : " He that believeth and is baptized," He said, 
 ^' shall be saved, and he that believeth not " (whether 
 baptized or not) " shall be damned." I am now giving 
 you your commissions, and this is what I ordain you to 
 teach. That then which we are to believe, under pain 
 of damnation, is the Gospel as commanded to be 
 preached by the Apostles. 
 
 And as to preach the Gospel is not merely to publish 
 one or two of the most important truths of it, and to 
 keep back the rest, but to declare the whole counsel of 
 God, so to believe the Gospel is not merely to believe 
 that there was such a person as Jesus Christ, and that 
 He was crucified for our sins, but to believe everything 
 the Apostles were appointed to teach, — that is, the 
 whole of the New Testament — and, as the New Testa- 
 ment is but a fulfilment of the Old, the whole of the 
 Bible also. 
 
 First, let us see what we mean by the word ^' to be- 
 lieve." S. Paul, we know, tells us that faith is the sub- 
 stance of things hoped for : to have faith, then, is to 
 consider things as certain as if we had already the sub- 
 stance, that is, the real possession of them. But that 
 is not all, for S. Philip tells the eunuch, "li thou be- 
 lievest with all thy heart, thou mayest be baptized," and 
 S. Paul also tells the Romans that their belief must be 
 from the heart in order to be justified, for with the heart, 
 he says, man believeth unto righteousness, — therefore a 
 man must not only believe, but believe with the heart. 
 Now, remember, this is not an idle distinction; to 
 believe with the heart is a peculiar phrase, and it is not 
 used without a peculiar meaning. To believe with the 
 understanding or the head is to be perfectly certain a 
 thing is true, but to believe with the heart is to be 
 
332 A LIVELY FAITH. 
 
 suitably affected by it ; when we know tbat to-day is 
 Sunday^ we believe it witb our head ; when we make up 
 our minds always to come to church because it is Sun- 
 day, we believe it with our heart. These are two very 
 different things, as we may easily see by referring to 
 belief or faith in earthly things. A man living beyoud 
 his income must be sure — that is, must believe with his 
 understandiug or head, that if he goes on he will be 
 ruined. But does it always follow that he will retrench ? 
 Yet he would do so if he believed it with his heart. A 
 drunkard must be sure that he will ruin his constitu- 
 tion and waste his money ; but because he believes this, 
 will he become always a sober man ? Not unless he 
 lays to heart the misery that is before him. 
 
 Precisely the same is it with the Christian with re- 
 spect to heavenly faith. He may believe with the un- 
 derstanding or head every word of the Bible, and yet 
 not lay it to heart — that is to say, his conduct will no 
 more be affected by it than is that of the spendthrift 
 who believes he will be ruined, the drunkard who be- 
 lieves his constitution will be destroyed. But he must 
 believe with the heart, in order that his Baptism may 
 be efficacious, or his faith imputed for righteousness. 
 Faith, therefore, we may define to be, such a thorough 
 belief in the whole Word of God as will cause us to act 
 differently from the way in which we should have acted 
 did we not believe. And that is what the article means 
 when it says, '' Good works do spring necessarily out of 
 a lively faith.^^ 
 
 Now, in what are we to believe with this lively faith ? 
 we have seen in the whole Word of God, but particu- 
 larly in the New Testament. I am afraid, however, 
 were I to ask you each individually how far you are 
 acquainted with the whole Word of God, — that is, how 
 much you have read and can remember and understand 
 of the whole Bible, — you would most of you make but 
 a poor answer. Some cannot read it and understand it, 
 some will not ; and few or none can so understand it as 
 to pick out from the whole volume those truths which 
 are necessary to frame their conduct by, and lead their 
 
WHAT A CREED MUST BE. 333 
 
 expectations right. To help us here the Church has 
 provided for us the Creeds, and has done this from the 
 very first. The Apostles^ Creed is more ancient than 
 some of the later portions of Scripture, and the English 
 Church has placed it, as a thing necessary to be known, 
 in the second division of the Catechism. To believe the 
 Creed, then, is absolutely necessary to salvation. This, 
 says the Church, is the Catholic faith, which except a 
 man believe, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly ; 
 or, in the more energetic words of our Saviour, ^' He 
 that believeth not shall be damned.^^ Why is this? 
 Because the Creed is the whole Christian doctrine in 
 short, proved by Scripture and sanctioned by the 
 Church; and therefore, to reject that is to reject the 
 whole Christian doctrine as received by the Church 
 from the Apostles^ times. A Creed must be proved 
 from Scripture, or it would not have authority ; and it 
 must be also sanctioned by the Church, because it is 
 intended to show not how any particular person, but 
 how the Church interprets Scripture. Our Creed is 
 both j therefore, not to believe the Creed is not to be- 
 lieve Christianity. 
 
 And, be it observed, to believe in the Creed is to be- 
 lieve in the whole Creed. We are not at liberty to 
 select one or two clauses, and to neglect the rest. It is 
 a good deal the fashion to make the single clause, that 
 Jesus Christ died for our sins, the test of Christians, 
 leaving out our belief in the Holy Catholic Church. 
 Now this in faith is much the same as it would be in 
 duty to say we like the Sixth Commandment very well, 
 and mean to keep it ; but as for the Seventh, we will 
 pass over that. We were baptized on condition of our 
 believing the whole Creed, as you will see from the ser- 
 vice. If we do not believe the whole Creed, however 
 we may be saved, (and it is not for me to say we shall 
 not,) one thing is certain, we shall not be saved through 
 the covenants of Baptism. 
 
 I have spoken hitherto of the Creed as of one, whereas 
 if you look at the Prayer Book, you will find that there 
 are three — the Apostles^ Creed, which we repeat both in 
 
334 THE THREE CHEEDS. 
 
 morning and in afternoon service ; the Nicene Creed, 
 which belongs to the Communion Service; and the 
 Athanasian Creed, which is assigned to particular days, 
 and is repeated thirteen times every year. But, in 
 truth, these two last are only commentaries and expla- 
 nations of the Apostles^ Creed, into which, as you will 
 see by the Baptismal Service, you were baptized. The 
 sponsors you will there see are asked whether they be- 
 lieve all the Articles of the Christian faith, that is, the 
 Apostles' Creed; because, unless they thoroughly be- 
 lieve it themselves, they cannot teach to you faith in the 
 Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, into Whose Name you 
 were then about to be baptized. The word creed is 
 simply the Latin word ci-edo, I believe ; but the old name 
 was symbolum, which signifies a watchword or counter- 
 sign, as used by soldiers in war time. And that is pre- 
 cisely wha.t the Creed is — it is the watchword of the 
 Church militant. Ludolph, of Saxony, in his Life of 
 Christ, describes the three Creeds thus, and his de- 
 scription will serve to explain to us the use of them. 
 " There are three symbols (watchwords or tokens such 
 as are used among soldiers of a garrison to recognise 
 their comrades, and to detect intruders) — the first of 
 the Apostles, the second of the Nicene Council, the third 
 of S. Athanasius. The first for instruction in the faith, 
 the second for explanation of the faith, the third for 
 defence of the faith.''' In the simpler ages of the 
 Church there was but one, the Apostles' Creed, telling 
 us plain truths in plain language; but in process of 
 time, people growing wiser, according to worldly wisdom, 
 began to ask how these things can be. And about three 
 hundred years after the Apostles' Creed was written, 
 the Church found it necessary to put forth an explana- 
 tory Creed. You will easily see the nature of the doubts 
 and questions which then arose, if you compare the two 
 Creeds — thus the Apostles' Creed speaks of Jesus 
 Christ as the only Son of God ; but it was objected 
 that we are all sons of God, therefore, as you will see, 
 the words '^'^ only-begotten Son of God " were used in 
 the Nicene Creed, in order to point out that Jesus is 
 
THE THREE CREEDS. 335 
 
 the Son of God, as we are children of our fathers; 
 whereas, we are sons of God by adoption, that is, by 
 being taken from the family of Adam, to which we did 
 belong, and admitted by Baptism into the household of 
 God, to which we did not. Again, the Apostles^ Creed 
 believes in the Holy Ghost, imagining that Christians 
 had but to be reminded of this, and that nobody doubted 
 who the Holy Ghost was ; but the Nicene Creed, find- 
 ing from experience that it is necessary to define that 
 He is a Person, and of the same nature as the Father 
 and the Son, therefore uses these words, "proceeding 
 from the Father and the Son.^^ 
 
 Again, the Apostles^ Creed states the fact that Christ 
 was crucified ; but the Nicene Creed finds it necessary 
 to state distinctly that He was crucified for us, because 
 even in those early days there were men who ventured 
 to write sentiments somewhat similar to those which 
 have obtained some celebrity in our own times. Such 
 as this — '^ Christ is emphatically said to be our Atone- 
 ment, not that we may attribute to God any change of 
 purpose towards men by what Christ has done, but 
 that we may know that we have passed from the death 
 of sin to the life of righteousness by Him, and that our 
 own hearts may not condemn us.^^ In order to enable 
 unlearned people to guard themselves against errors so 
 dangerous as this, and lest they should be led to think 
 that GoD^s purpose was not changed by the death of 
 Christ, it was necessary to write more explicitly, which 
 is done in the words " for us.^^ 
 
 There are many other additions in the Nicene Creed, 
 which as I have not time to notice now, I will leave you 
 to find out for yourselves, remarking only this, that you 
 will never find the Creeds contradicting one another; it 
 is merely the later Creed explaining the doubtful points 
 of the Creed that went before it. They all declare the 
 same truths, and consequently he who believes one must 
 believe all. 
 
 Men have spoken of the Athanasian Creed as into- 
 lerant. I look on tolerant people with some suspicion. 
 I do not find them tolerant of murder, because they 
 
336 THE ATHANASIAN CREED. 
 
 may be murdered ; nor of robbery, because the next 
 robbery may be committed upon them ; but when only 
 the glory of Almighty God is concerned, they can afford 
 to be tolerant, and then they are more merciful than 
 God Himself, and, imitating the devil in the book of 
 Genesis, when God denounces death repeat his soothing 
 language, '^ ye shall not surely die/^ Depend upon it, 
 to repeat God^s language plainly is the best of charities ; 
 if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall pre- 
 pare himself for the battle ? It is of no use to be tole- 
 rant if God is not tolerant ; it is no use to cry peace, 
 peace, where there is no peace, saith my God. 
 
 It has been objected also to the Athanasian Creed, 
 that few people can understand its meaning ; and deep 
 reason have we to thank God that it is so. It was easy 
 enough to be understood when it was first T\Titten, for 
 all those blasphemous and absurd opinions which it at- 
 tacks, and which to us are incomprehensible, were then 
 familiar in the mouths of men, all claiming to belong to 
 Christ^s Church, aU quoting Scripture in support of 
 their different absurdities, and all claiming the right of 
 private judgment to interpret that Scripture their own 
 way. One denied the Di\dnity of the Holy Ghost, an- 
 other His existence. One said that our Blessed Saviour 
 was not man ; another said He was not God. One said 
 that there was no Son nor Holy Ghost - another said 
 that Father, Son, and Holy Ghost were three different 
 individuals, like three different men. All these, thank 
 God, are past and forgotten, and the very sentence by 
 which the Church condemned them has become incom- 
 prehensible to most of us, because most of us have never 
 heard the history of those divisions it refers to. They, 
 like our modern dissent, have risen on the name of 
 some clever individuals, have flouiished, faded, and are 
 forgotten ; and others have succeeded them and have 
 faded, and have been forgotten also, while the Church 
 remains like the God Who founded it, the same yester- 
 day, and to-day, and for ever. That is why the Atha- 
 nasian Creed is so difficult for us to understand. But 
 is it therefore useless ? It may be useless now as a pro- 
 
FAITH FIRST — WORKS AFTERWARDS. 337 
 
 fession of faith^ but it is also a record of schism : it 
 shows to what blasphemous absurdities men have been 
 led who ventured to throw off the authority of the 
 Churchj and warns us^ that what man has done^ man 
 may do. That while we are one body^ of which Christ 
 is the Headj He is with us always. When each man 
 stands by himself or his oayu party, the de\al gleans all. 
 You do not now want to be told that our Blessed Sa- 
 viour is God as well as man, or that there is a Holy 
 Ghost, a Comforter. But how do you know how long 
 it will be before the self-will of man will render such a 
 warning necessary to keep God^s true servants in the 
 faith. You may learn the use of the Creeds, and of the 
 Athanasian in particular, from the hedges you make 
 round your own fields. While the whole country is 
 quiet the hedge is perfectly useless, and certainly it 
 bears no fruit, still you make it, and you trim it and 
 you care for it, and you see that it is sound throughout, 
 and always kept up, because you cannot tell how soon 
 riotous cattle or ill-disposed men may show that the 
 soundness of the hedge is the salvation of the crop. 
 The Bible is the seed of the Church, the Creeds are its 
 hedge, and next to the Bible the Creeds are the most 
 valuable possession it enjoys. 
 
 There is one thing to be learnt from the arrangement 
 of the Catechism ; two things are necessary to salva- 
 tion, faith and obedience, the Creed and the Command- 
 ments, but the Creed comes first : faith comes first, and 
 good works do spring out of a lively faith. And if a 
 man does these, says our Saviour, he shall know these 
 things whether they be of God. AYe have never at- 
 tempted to reverse this teaching of the Church in you ; 
 we never waited till you could understand first, in order 
 that you might believe afterwards ; we placed the ideas 
 there, we taught you by rote ; and, now that the under- 
 standing has come, you see the advantage of it, for you 
 find the materials of your faith ready. None of you 
 who were trained in the Church school can remember 
 when you first heard that you had God for your Father, 
 Christ to save you, and the Heavenly Spirit to make 
 
 Q 
 
338 DUTIES IMPLIED BY THE CREED. 
 
 and keep you holy. You can no more tell me when 
 you learnt your religion, than when you learnt to 
 breathe. If the enemy attempts to sow tares in your 
 minds now^ I hope he will find the wheat already grown. 
 I am sure he ought. 
 
 We have but little time left to examine the Creed 
 itselfj and I must go rapidly through it. "We were bap- 
 tized into the Name of the Pathek^ the Son, and the 
 Holy Ghost. What we are chiefly taught in these ar- 
 ticles of our belief, is the separate office of these three 
 Persons of the undivided Trinity, into Whose Name we 
 have been baptized, i.e., in the words of the Catechism, 
 ^^ to believe in God the Father, Who made us and all 
 the world,^^ that is, the beasts, the birds, the fishes, the 
 angels, the sun and moon, as well as ourselves. — In God 
 the Son, who redeemed, not all the world, but aU man- 
 kind, the heathens, the savages, those who lived before 
 He came into the world, as well as those who never 
 heard of His Name. — And in the Holy Ghost, Who 
 sanctifieth, not aU mankind, not the heathens and sa- 
 vages, but the elect or chosen people of God. That is 
 the Church, who, like you, were baptized in His Name, 
 and who, like those in old times, live in the Apostles^ 
 doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of the 
 bread, and in the prayers. 
 
 I believe in God the Father, then, means far more 
 than I believe there is a God, for the devils believe so 
 much ; it means I acknowledge God as a Father, who 
 made me and all the world, and I mean to pay Him the 
 respect due to a father, and in a greater degree, inas- 
 much as He is a Father Almighty, and made heaven 
 and earth. If you believe God the Son, you must 
 believe something more than that He was God the Son, 
 and that He died to take away the power of the devil, 
 for the very devils, when He cast them out, confessed 
 thus much. Yet you do not suppose they were saved : 
 to be saved yourself, you must believe more than they 
 did ; you must believe that Jesus Christ is our Lord, 
 that is, our Master, one who has a right to our 
 •)bedience. You must believe that He was conceived 
 
DUTIES IMPLIED BY THE CREED. 339 
 
 by the Holy Ghost^ or^ in the words of the Nicene 
 Greedy that He was very God of very God^ because the 
 Son of God is God. And you must believe that He 
 was born of the Virgin Mary, because the son of a 
 woman is a man, " man of the substance of His mo- 
 ther/^ This is necessary to salvation, because were He 
 not God, the sacrifice of His life would never be of 
 sufficient value to satisfy God, and were He not man, 
 as we are, that sacrifice would not apply to us, who are 
 not Gods, but men. That He suffered under Pontius 
 Pilate, that He was crucified, dead, and buried, are mat- 
 ters of history as well as of faith ; but we must believe 
 that His soul was really parted from His body, and that 
 it went to that unseen place, called in the Creed hell, 
 and by our Saviour Paradise, where the spirits of just 
 men await theii' final sentence. We must believe this, 
 in order that we may beheve the joyful doctrine con- 
 tained in the next clause. That He, as man, rose from 
 the dead, and therefore that we, as men, shall rise also. 
 We must believe that He ascended into heaven, and 
 sitteth at the right hand of God, if we would think of 
 Him as a Mediator and Advocate. And we must believe 
 that He will come from thence at the end of the world, 
 if we expect to be judged according to our works ; or, 
 to use the words of inspiration, if we believe '^^that He 
 will give to every man according as his works shall be.^^ 
 If you believe in the Holy Ghost, you must believe 
 in His earthly dwelling-place, the Holy Catholic Church. 
 That is the congregation of all faithful men, throughout 
 the world. Faithful is the word we use, that is, those 
 who believe all the articles of the Christian faith, not 
 some of them, neglecting the others ; who are admitted 
 into that congregation by baptism, and who continue in 
 it by living in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and 
 in the breaking of bread, i.e., the Communion, and in 
 prayers. You need not expect that all will be good who 
 belong to that Church on earth, because yom' Saviour 
 has told you that it is like a net cast into the sea, 
 which gathers of all kinds, the bad and the good. Nor 
 may you expect that aU who have been predestinated 
 
 q2 
 
340 DUTIES IMPLIED BY THE CREED. 
 
 and elected into that Churcli will be saved, because 
 you know that Christ chose or elected twelvCj and 
 of them one was a devil, and went to his own place ; 
 but you must consider yourself as one of the called 
 and elected. You must therefore labour to make your 
 calling and election sure, because you know that you 
 were only grafted into Christ^s Church by Baptism, 
 and are not one of the natural branches of the tree, 
 and you may easily reason, even if S. Paul had not 
 told you, that if God spared not the natural branches, 
 there is no reason why He should spare you. This 
 is shown in one word in the answer that follows the 
 Creed. You observe that God the Father made, and 
 God the Son redeemed, i.e. did a thing which is now 
 past and done : but of God the Holy Ghost, it is not 
 said that He sanctified, but that He sanctifieth. That 
 is continually, always, day by day, employs Himself in 
 sanctifying or making holy us, the elect people of God. 
 We are none of us as yet holy in ourselves, but we are 
 all, let us hope, daily becoming so by help of that Holy 
 Spirit. Still He will not always strive with those who 
 grieve Him by going on in sin. And we must there- 
 fore watch against anything approaching to wrong, lest 
 we harden our hearts and cause the Holy Spirit to 
 give us up. We cannot do or think anything good if 
 we are deserted by the Holy Ghost, for we are told 
 that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves, 
 that we are not sufficient of ourselves to think anything 
 of ourselves, that our sufficiency is of God. The worst 
 thing that can befal us in this world is, that God should 
 take that Holy Spirit from us, for as we were not 
 members of Christ before we received Him, so we cease 
 to be members of Christ after He is taken away. 
 GoD^s words on that subject are, except a man have, i.e., 
 continue to possess, the Spirit of Christ, he is none of 
 His. And when a man ceases to be a member of 
 Christ, he loses his covenanted title to salvation. 
 
 Let us be warned by this awful possibility ; but, in 
 the mean time, let us thank God for the four privileges 
 He has given to His Church. 1st. The Communion of 
 
THE FOUR CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGES. 341 
 
 Saints_, and do not let ns confuse that, as so many do, with 
 (2nd) the Catholic Church. The Church is that body 
 governed by the Apostles^ successors, and living in the 
 Apostles'* laws; in virtue of our being members of the 
 Church we enjoy the privilege of [a) the Communion 
 of Saints; that is, joint interest and friendly union with 
 the holy men of old, who are dead, and whose souls are 
 in Paradise, as well as with those who are still upon 
 earth, and in whose prayers we partake ; {b) the minis- 
 tration of the angels, who do minister to us, though we 
 may not worship them, and, above all, (c) the fellow- 
 ship of Jesus Christ; "ye have fellowship,^^ says S. 
 John, " with us, and truly our fellowship is with the 
 Father, and His Son Jesus Christ." As members of 
 the Church, and in that capacity alone, we enjoy for- 
 giveness of sins in baptism, as I before explained in 
 baptism, as members of the Church, therefore, we alone 
 are certified (3rd) of the resurrection of the body, because 
 it is only by being buried with Him in baptism that we 
 are certified of rising with Him. And, lastly, as true 
 members of the Church, unforsaken by the Holy 
 Ghost, we alone can enjoy the prospect (4th) of life 
 everlasting, because to such only it will be a privilege 
 or advantage, to those who are cast out it will be the 
 greatest of all evils. 
 
 This is the Catholic faith, which, except a man believe 
 faithfully, he cannot be saved. And that not because 
 the Church has pronounced the sentence, but because 
 every one of these things is taken from the Bible, to 
 every one of them separately God has added a damna- 
 tory clause, and on the whole Christ has placed the 
 seal of the text, '^ he that believeth not shall be damned.''^ 
 
 This is why the Church makes it imperative that all 
 her members shall learn the Creed. Just consider what 
 an awful thing it would be for a person, on his deathbed, 
 to be ignorant of God the Father, his Creator, God 
 the Son, his only Eedeemer, and God the Holy Ghost, 
 his only Comforter. Now the Church considers us as if 
 we were all on our death-beds, or at least only a little 
 way from them. The services of the Visitation of the 
 
342 THE rOUR CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGES. 
 
 Sick and the Burial of the Dead_, come very close after 
 Baptism and the Catechism. As we should wish to die, 
 so would the Church have us live ; if it be an awful 
 thought to pass into eternity in wilful ignorance or neg- 
 ligence of the truths of the Gospel, is it not also an 
 awful thought that people should spend this, their time 
 of trial, in such ignorance and negligence. Let us do 
 so no more, let us learn the Creed, let us study the 
 Creed and see what it means, and let us act up to the 
 Creed, i.e., let us have a lively faith, if we have been 
 ignorant, let us be ignorant no longer. You know that 
 without faith it is impossible to please God ; see and 
 examine then what faith is, amend what has hitherto 
 been deficient in it, and join with heart and soul in that 
 petition of the Litany which beseeches God to give us 
 true repentance, to forgive us not only our sins, but our 
 negligences and ignorances also, and to endue us with 
 the grace of His Holy Spirit, that we may amend our 
 lives according to His holy word. 
 
IV. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 " The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." — 
 S. James v. 16. 
 
 Hitherto I have been bringing to your recollection 
 the promises that you have made to God^ or rather 
 those which have been made in your name^ and wliich 
 you will shortly declare before the congregation_, as I 
 trust you have long felt, and often before professed, 
 though not quite so publicly, that you acknowledge and 
 take them for your own. 
 
 These promises, we have seen, are repentance, faith, 
 and duty, as shown by the Creed and the Command- 
 ments. In examining these, as we have done lately, it 
 must have occurred to us how very much more compre- 
 hensive, and how very much more difficult to perform 
 these promises really are, than at first sight they appear. 
 That repentance, without which we shall all perish, is 
 something more than being sorry for our sins. That 
 faith, without which it is impossible to please God, is 
 something more than believing that there is such a per- 
 son as Cheist; and that obedience, the fruit of faith 
 and the works meet for repentance, is more than keep- 
 ing the mere letter of the law. The more we examine 
 into these things, the more difficult we shall find it to 
 perform them. No one thinks his duty in this world 
 an easy thing, or his faith a matter of easy learning, 
 or his repentance a thing to be taken up and gone 
 through in a few days, and those perhaps, his last days. 
 
344 THE CHRISTIANAS RIGHTS. 
 
 except the man is so ignorant as not to know what faith^ 
 dutVj and repentance are. It does not require the in- 
 spiration_, or even the knowledge of S. Panl^ to find out 
 what S. Paul has told us^ that ^^ there is a law in our 
 members, warring against the law of our mind.^^ This 
 law in our members is Original Sin, sin which we de- 
 rive from being begotten in the likeness not of God, but 
 of Adam. And, as you may recollect my explaining to 
 you in my first lecture, it shows itself in an inclination 
 to sin, which certainly God has not, and which there- 
 fore we should not have were we still in God's image 
 and after His likeness. AYe find, therefore, that in 
 making these three promises of repentance, faith and 
 obedience, we have promised more than we are able to 
 perform. Here then we fall back upon our privileges, 
 that is to say, upon what God promised to us, in the 
 covenant He has made with us. And these you will 
 recollect we explained, were not only forgiveness for the 
 past, and happiness for the future, but also grace, that 
 is help, for the present. We cannot keep our promises 
 without God's help, and therefore we claim that help 
 as part of our covenant. "We claim it, not because we 
 are righteous and deserve to have it, but we claim it in 
 virtne of God's promise, the oath that He sware to our 
 forefathers. He gave it to us at our baptism, freely ; 
 and because He gave it to us, it became our possession : 
 and thus, as soon as we find we want it, we claim it with 
 confidence. 
 
 Do not let us forget that it is a privilege, that is to 
 say, a somxCthing which we Christians enjoy, though 
 every one does not enjoy it. When we talk of our 
 right, as Englishmen, to petition the Queen, we imply, 
 that if we were not Englishmen, we should have no 
 such right ; let this convey to us some idea of our right, 
 as Christians, to petition our God. It is a right that 
 we should not enjoy if we were not Christians. 
 
 Were it not for this grace or heavenly help, which by 
 promise becomes our right, there would be no very great 
 difference between our position and that of Adam under 
 the covenant of works ; like him, we should have happi- 
 
THE GRACE OF GOD. 345 
 
 ness if we obeyed ; but as lie fell,, so migbt we expect 
 to fallj if God had not given us something that he did 
 not possess. That something is grace^ and of so great 
 importance is it^ that the Christian covenant takes its 
 name from this circumstance^ and is called the Cove- 
 nant of Grace. But on that subject^ and on the Sa- 
 viour by Whose sacrifice this covenant was obtained^ 
 we have already treated at large. 
 
 The peculiarity of the Christian covenant is, not that 
 we were^ at our new birth or baptism, born without sin, 
 in the sense of our original sin being taken away, but 
 that we had then a new strength given us, by which Ave 
 may resist and overcome that natural inclination to sin, 
 which we call original sin, and may, notwithstanding the 
 corruption of our nature which still remains, produce 
 works pleasing to God. It is something like putting 
 manure upon a thoroughly exhausted field ; by itself the 
 field will produce nothing, but it will come into heart 
 and produce a good crop, in virtue of something added 
 to it which does not by nature belong to it. Hence I 
 think it is dangerous to let our minds rest too much on 
 the total corruption of our nature, except as a matter of 
 thankfulness to our Lord Jesus Christ, Who called us 
 who were sometimes afar ofP. It is dangerous for this 
 reason, because he who is in the habit of considering 
 himself incapable of anything, will not attempt any- 
 thing; it leads curious and carnal persons into that 
 state described by the seventeenth article, '^ to have con- 
 tinually before their eyes the sentence of God^s predes- 
 tination,^^ which the same article describes as ^' a most 
 dangerous downfall, whereby the de^dl doth thrust them 
 either into desperation, or into recklessness of unclean 
 living no less perilous than desperation." 
 
 In words the doctrine is perfectly true : such by na- 
 ture we were, totally corrupt, incapable of goodness, like 
 an exhausted field ; but such by grace we «re not, we 
 have a power not our own, we are as the '^ smell of a 
 field that the Lord has blessed." We are instructed by 
 the Catechism to call ourselves members of Christ, that 
 is, parts of Christ. And as the hand, though dead and 
 
 Q 3 
 
346 GRACE ENABLES US TO DO WORKS. 
 
 powerless when cut off, has real strength when joined to 
 the bodj; so have we (though in ourselves powerless) 
 real strength when joined with Christ. 
 
 But here I must notice a Popish error into which 
 many are deceived. It seldom happens that it is neces- 
 sary to notice the Popish errors_, as we must those which 
 Protestants fall into^ because there are few Roman Ca- 
 tholics here to lead you into the one_, though there are 
 many erring Protestants to lead you into the other. 
 This^ however, is a doctrine so pleasing to us, that many 
 of us do keep it and cherish it at the very time when we 
 are most crying out against Popeiy. I do not mean 
 that we profess it in words, but that we give evidence of 
 it by our conduct. The Romish doctrine with respect 
 to works done in Christ is this, — that though by our- 
 selves we can do nothing, yet that by the grace of God 
 we have the power of doing good works, and that these 
 works are pleasing and acceptable to Him. Thus far 
 it is all right, and exactly the same as we teach, and the 
 Apostles and Apostolic men have taught before us ; but 
 they say that these good works done in Christ may be 
 more than God requires from man for his salvation, and 
 therefore, when he has done more than his duty at one 
 time, it will make up for having done less than his duty 
 at another : in short, though the Romanist allows his 
 works to be done in Christ, he makes his good works 
 atone for his bad ones, and his penance earn his abso- 
 lution. We say, that by the grace of Christ we do 
 good works, but we say that these works at their best 
 are no more than what God requires; and therefore, 
 when we have resisted the Holy Spirit and have not 
 done them, we have nothing to set against the falling 
 off, — nothing to make an atonement with, — and there- 
 fore must come to Christ as our Advocate, and claim 
 His first promise, forgiveness, on the performance of our 
 first promise, repentance. 
 
 The teaching of our Catechism is this : after explain- 
 ing to us how very much is meant by our faith, and 
 how very much by our duty, it says, " My good child, 
 know this, that thou art not able to perform these 
 
PRAYER A PRIVILEGE RATHER THAN A DUTY. 347 
 
 things of thyself, nor to walk in His Commandments 
 and serve Him^ without His special grace/^ To give us 
 this grace^ He requires us to ask for it ; and hence we 
 see the necessity of prayer. 
 
 With respect to prayer^ we generally make this mis- 
 take : we consider it in the light of a duty we ought 
 to perform, whereas we should consider it in the light 
 of a privilege which we ought to value. We shall 
 obtain nothing from God without prayer_, either of our- 
 selvesj or of others praying for us, it is true ; but, strictly 
 speaking, it is no more our duty than it is the duty of a 
 man who has got a petition drawn up for him, to go 
 round the parish to ask assistance from it. It is ti-ue 
 that, if he do not exert himself and make use of his 
 paper, he will remain in the same wretched condition as 
 he was in before it was drawn up ; but in going with it 
 round the parish and presenting his paper, he is exer- 
 cising a privilege, not doing a duty, — he is benefiting 
 nobody but himself or his friends by it. So is it with 
 our prayers : it is of no use or benefit to God that we 
 pray to Him, but we come to that place which God has 
 appointed in order to present, for our own good, the pe- 
 tition which Jesijs Christ has drawn up for us. I do 
 not like to speak of the duty of coming to Chui'ch ; we 
 ought to come to Church, certainly, we who are able — 
 we cannot be Christians unless we do come to Church, 
 and we ought besides to pray privately by ourselves, 
 and such of us as have families ought to lead them to 
 pray ; but all this is not a duty, but a privilege, — the 
 privilege of asking your Heavenly Father for what you 
 want, and of knowing that, if it is good for you, and 
 you ask it faithfully, He will give it you. You must do 
 this if you would be saved, but that does not make the 
 power of so doing less a privilege or blessing. It is not 
 your duty to breathe, yet without breathing you will 
 die : so it is not your duty to pray, yet without praying 
 you will die everlastingly. 
 
 You recollect that our Saviour taught His disciples 
 to pray, but He did not do so till they first felt the want 
 of some form of prayer, and asked Him. Then it was 
 
348 PRAYER MUST BE MADE IN FAITH. 
 
 that He drew up that form of prayer tliat I have likened 
 to a written petition^ and before He left the earth He 
 permitted them to present it to our Heavenly Father 
 in His Name. 
 
 Before we examine the Lord^s Prayer itself, which is 
 in fact the model and precedent of our prayers^ — the 
 title, as it were, by which we have confidence to pray at 
 all, — it will be necessary to define what we mean by the 
 word prayer. Prayer generally is an address to God, 
 expressing religious feelings, but those feelings may 
 take difi'erent forms, according to the particular service 
 we are engaged in : in confession, we express humility ; 
 in petition, desire; in thanksgiving, gratitude; and in 
 intercession, good-will towards our neighbours. That 
 our prayer may be a prayer at all, it must have some or 
 all of these feelings at the time we are making it, other- 
 wise it is but a form of words. God is a Spirit, and 
 must be worshipped in spirit and in truth. It is also 
 necessary that our prayer should be made in faith, — 
 that is to say, that we should believe, what our Saviour 
 told us, that there is some use in prayer, — that we are 
 to get ourselves some good by praying which we should 
 not get if we did not pray, — that by it we do prevail on 
 God to give us blessings which otherwise we could not 
 obtain. Our Saviour says, " Ask, and ye shall have." 
 S. James says, '' The effectual fervent prayer of a righ- 
 teous man availeth much." Now, if we make our 
 prayer without believing that we shall get what we ask 
 for, and that our prayer will avail, then we are praying 
 without faith, or, in other words, we are not praying at 
 all. We have pknty of examples in the Bible where 
 prayers were ansv, ered from God. Vv^e may remember 
 Lot saving the town of Zoar, and Moses twice preserving 
 the children of Israel, and Job turning away the wrath 
 of God from his three friends, Hezekiah procuring his 
 own recovery from sickness, and Manasseh obtaining 
 deliverance for himself out of the prison in Babylon, — 
 and as for common prayers, that is to say, prayers which 
 were made together and in common, can we not remem- 
 ber the prayers of the Church procuring S. Peter^s de- 
 
THE LORD^S PRAYER. 349 
 
 liver ance from prison at Jerusalem ? These and many 
 more examples of prayer answered by God were re- 
 corded for our encouragement ; and whenever we fail in 
 getting from God what we ask for_, we shall do well to 
 ask ourselves^ did we pray for it with a doubting mind? 
 We now come to the form of prayer which our Sa- 
 viour gave us_, and do not forget that it is a form of 
 prayer; had our blessed Saviour thought it sufficient 
 that we should pray with our minds, He never would 
 have given us a form at all. The Lord^s Prayer is to 
 the fourth division of the Catechism (that about prayer) 
 what the Creed is to faith_, and the Commandments to 
 duty. As these are a summary of aU we ought to be- 
 lieve and to do^ so the other is a summary of all we 
 ought to pray for. It is not a peculiarity now (may we 
 be thankful for the blessing)^ but it was a peculiarity 
 when that prayer was first given to the Churchy that it 
 is addressed to God not as our Creator^ but as our Fa- 
 ther. It is_, as it was once called,, the prayer of the 
 baptized ; for God is but the Maker or Creator of the 
 world in general ; He is the Father of those whom He 
 has made His sons by adoption^ and admitted by Bap- 
 tism into His Church. In the days when most of the 
 people were heathens^ this prayer was always made in 
 silence, as we say our collect on entering Church. The 
 deacon indeed called out, '^ Let us pray,^^ in order that 
 the people might all pray together ; but the people re- 
 peated in silence the Lord's Prayer, speaking at most 
 in an undertone, and this was done, it is said, lest any un- 
 baptized man should learn it, and so endanger himself by 
 using a form of address to which God had given him no 
 right. We are all God^s adopted children now, and there 
 is now no reason for this ; still we ought to make this 
 prayer in a lower and more reverential tone than we do 
 the rest of the service^ because these are the very words 
 of our Blessed Lord^ and if this should at any time re- 
 mind us of those days when it was made in actual 
 silence, we ought to thank God that to us He has been 
 a light to lighten the Gentiles, as well as a glory to His 
 people Israel. 
 
350 
 
 Our first petition is that we may hallow God^s Name, 
 — that is, speak of it in a holy and reverential manner ; 
 and when we remember the terrible punishment that 
 He sent upon Aaron^s two sons, who oflPered what is 
 called strange fire, which is much the same as if we 
 were to offer unauthorised prayers, we shall be very 
 cautious how we make use of our own words in address- 
 ing Him. Remember what He said when He destroyed 
 those two presumptuous men, ^' I will be sanctified in 
 them that come nigh Me" — that is. My Name must be 
 hallowed. The first petition, therefore, of the first 
 prayer we make, either in the morning or in the even- 
 ing, or in the Communion Service, is, that God^s Name 
 may be hallowed. Let us only think of this, and act 
 as we pray, and we shall have no more inattention in 
 Church. 
 
 As our first prayer is for the glory of God^s Name, so 
 our second is for the increase of His Church, — here 
 called, as it often is, His kingdom, — God^s kingdom of 
 grace is His Church on earth, — God^s kingdom of glory 
 is His Church in heaven ; in this petition we pray for 
 both, — that His way may be known upon earth, and (as 
 we pray more at large in the burial service) that it will 
 please Him of His gracious goodness shortly to accom- 
 plish the number of His elect, and to hasten His king- 
 dom: and remember that we are going against the 
 prayer of that petition when we make divisions in the 
 Church, or encourage those that do, or indeed when we 
 set a bad example in anything. 
 
 The next petition is but the necessary consequence of 
 the last : in the last, ^' Thy kingdom come," we pray 
 that all men may become Christians, or belonging to 
 Christ's Church : in this, ^^Thy will be done," we pray 
 that Christ's Church may produce its proper fruit, uni- 
 versal holiness : it is done in heaven by the angels, at 
 all times and in all respects, and we pray that it may be 
 done on earth by men in like manner, at all times and 
 in all respects. Now remember, when we do not do 
 God's will ourselves, we cannot say that prayer in ear- 
 nest, — we cannot pray for one thing and do another. 
 
351 
 
 We first pray for God^s glory^ then for His Cliurcli, 
 and we do not pray for ourselves till we have done that. 
 We should learn from this to accustom our minds to 
 think of God firsts and of ourselves and our temporal 
 wants afterwards^ — our souls before our bodies_, — or, in 
 our Saviour^s words, to seek the kingdom of God first, 
 and His righteousness, and to trust that He will add all 
 things necessary for us afterwards. We pray for our 
 daily bread ; this should teach us moderation. We pray 
 for bread, — that is, necessaries, not luxuries; and it 
 should teach us to pray often, for we do not pray for 
 bread once for all, but day by day ; and if this petition 
 be made in earnest, we must use the means which God 
 has given to supply us with bread, — that is, our industry 
 in our several states; if we do not, our deeds and our 
 words do not go together ; we are not in earnest ; we 
 cannot pray for one thing and do another. 
 
 We then pray to be forgiven " our trespasses." S. 
 Matthew calls them our debts, — that which we have left 
 undone or unpaid before God. We pray to be forgiven 
 them, for we never can pay them. Nothing that we can 
 do in future will make up for what we have left undone. 
 If God do not for Christ's sake forgive us, we are lost, 
 and (remember that awful parable of the servant who 
 owed ten thousand talents) God will not forgive us_, 
 even for Christ's sake, unless we " forgive them that 
 trespass against us." Eemember, when we use that 
 prayer with malice in our hearts, we pray that God 
 would not forgive us ; our very prayer is a curse upon 
 our own selves. 
 
 We next pray that God would not lead us into temp- 
 tation, but would deliver us from evil. Now, to 
 '^ tempt," means, certainly, maliciously to entice men 
 to sin, as when the devil tempted our Saviour ; but 
 that is not the sense in which it is used here ; it means 
 also to try men, to put them to trials in order to see 
 whether or not they be faithful, as when, in chap. xxii. 
 of Genesis, God is said to have tempted Abraham. 
 Now, we are, or ought to be, modest and diffident of 
 our own strength, and we fear the trial. We pray, 
 
352 THE lord's prayer. 
 
 then^ that God woTild either keep us out of temptation^ 
 or support us under it ; and it is a good and a useful 
 prayer ; but then we must not tempt or try ourselves : 
 in order to make our words and our deeds tally, we 
 must go where we know others have fallen^ or place 
 ourselves in doubtful or difficult situations_, because we 
 think we are strong enough. We cannot expect God 
 to take care of us, if we will not take care of ourselves. 
 He will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are 
 able, it is true, but that will not save us if we choose to 
 tempt ourselves. 
 
 We conclude the whole with what is called the dox- 
 ology, or praise of God's Name. When we say that 
 His is the kingdom, we acknowledge that He has the 
 right to withhold all and everything we have asked for ; 
 when we say " Thine is the power," we admit His power 
 to do so ; while " Thine is the glory " means that, if 
 He grants them, all praise will belong to Him for ever 
 and ever. 
 
 This is the model of all prayer. God's glory first, 
 and the welfare of His Church ; then our own ; perfect 
 submission and content, whether God thinks fit to an- 
 swer our prayers or to refuse them ; and giving to God 
 the glory when we meet with success. This is our 
 Lord's own notion of the meaning of prayer, and such 
 is the frame of mind into which all prayer should 
 bring us. 
 
 It remains only that we should see when this prayer 
 should be used. It should be used both in public and 
 in private, for both of these has our Saviour com- 
 manded, and to both of them has He attached rewards. 
 ^' Thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and 
 when thou hast shut the door, pray to thy Father 
 which seeth in secret, and thy Father which seeth in 
 secret shall reward thee openly." This is for private 
 prayer. But when He speaks of public or common 
 prayer. He says^ " Again I say unto you, that if two 
 shall agree on earth touching anything they shall ask, 
 it shall be done for them of My Father which is in 
 heaven, for where two or three are gathered together in 
 
SPECTATORS^ AUDITORS^ AND WORSHIPPERS. 353 
 
 My Name^ there am I in the midst of them/^ Private 
 prayer may be with the heart alone; common prayer 
 must be in common_, and therefore aloud ; and so we read 
 of those with the Apostles that they lift up their voices 
 with one accord. In this our Church stands pre-emi- 
 nent. The Romanists come to Church to see their 
 priests perform the service, — they are spectators ; the 
 Protestant Dissenters come to their meeting-house to 
 hear their preachers extemporize a prayer or preach a 
 sermon, — they are hearers; we come to pray together, 
 like the Apostles, to lift up our voices vrith one accord, 
 — we are worshippers. Do not let this glorious pecu- 
 liarity of the English Church fall into disuse, as it does 
 among many of you. Many, I know, still unite their 
 voices in Gon^s praise, still join in the responses to the 
 prayers; but it should be universal, — none should be 
 exceeding in loudness, but none should be silent ; de- 
 pend upon it, whoever is silent is so far neglecting his 
 common prayer, — that is to say, he is not praying in 
 common with his neighbour, he is not lifting up his 
 voice with one accord. 
 
 We have now considered prayer as the necessary pre- 
 liminary to God's sending upon us that grace without 
 which we cannot hope to keep our promises, and that 
 upon the well-known principle that what is not worth 
 asking for is not worth having, — or, to speak more re- 
 verentially, that we must feel our want before God will 
 supply it. 
 
 In our next we will examine the various outward 
 means through which that grace is sent us, — in the use 
 of which we profess our repentance, exercise our faith, 
 perform our duty, and receive our earthly reward : that 
 is to say, strength to believe better, to do more, and to 
 be more acceptable to God, for this is the only true 
 reward that God gives here below, or which we ought 
 to wish for, — this and that peace of mind that nothing 
 but God can give, and nothing but our sins can take 
 away. 
 
SACEAMENTS. 
 
 " Stewards of the mysteries of GrOD." — 1 Cor. iv. 1. 
 
 This is but a short text, and yet it has two words in 
 it, both of which require explanation. These two words 
 are ^^ stewards '^ and '^'"mysteries." 
 
 " Stew-ards^-' are men who are employed by a superior, 
 which superior engages them and authorises them to 
 transact his own business. 
 
 The word ^^ mysteries'^ tells us what, in the particular 
 case of GoD^s stewards, this business is. God^s stewards, 
 therefore, are men specially commissioned by God, and 
 their principal business is to dispense God^s mysteries. 
 
 Now, what are the '^^ mysteries ^^ which it is the busi- 
 ness of these men to dispense ? To explain this is the 
 object of my sermon. 
 
 Properly speaking, a mystery is a religious act, the 
 full meaning and import of which is known and felt by 
 the elect alone, though the outward sign by which it is 
 signified may be seen and known by the world at large. 
 I will explain this more fully presently, but in the 
 meanwhile we will say it is what is expressed in the 
 Catechism by an outward visible sign of an inward 
 spiritual grace. Therefore, the word mystery is here 
 used to signify the ordinances of the Church, but more 
 especially the Sacraments. 
 
 I do not know anything that more indicates the low 
 state of religion into which we, as a country, have fallen, 
 and from which we are only just beginning to revive, 
 than the little knowledge we all have of God^s ordi- 
 
ASKING NOT THE SAME AS RECEIVING. 355 
 
 nances. The moral law^ if not kept, at least is known ; 
 a man may steal, but lie is not ignorant that in so doing 
 he is doing wrong; but with respect to God^s ordi- 
 nances — that is to say, means of grace provided and 
 ordered by God, there is no such consciousness ; and 
 the blessed Sacraments themselves have been, and are 
 still, neglected by hundreds of thousands who are all 
 the time unconscious that in neglecting them they are 
 neglecting the means which Chkist has appointed by 
 which to save them. Men^s minds are now becoming 
 awakened to these things. Means are provided which 
 a few years ago were never thought of. Still it is not 
 to be wondered at that those who have been kept so 
 long without the blessing should be ignorant of its 
 value ; and now, that they have the privilege so long 
 denied them, that they should neglect to avail them- 
 selves of it. Men do not know how they receive God^s 
 grace. "When asked, their answer nine times in ten is, 
 " by praying for it.^^ But evidently that is not how 
 they receive it, it is how they ask God for it. We shall 
 see this at once if we sum up the general teaching 
 of the Catechism, and take in the whole of it in one 
 view. 
 
 Of the five divisions of which we have spoken already, 
 the first shows us what is the nature of our agreement 
 with God. The next two explain our part of the agree- 
 ment. Faith and Obedience, while the last two relate 
 to God's part. Forgiveness and Grace. 
 
 I told you in the first lecture that none of these five 
 parts can be considered altogether without reference to 
 the others, and you must see that it is so — that there 
 can be no obedience without faith; that faith is not 
 faith at all without obedience ; that there can be neither 
 obedience nor faith without God's grace ; and that 
 God's grace would be useless to us if we had not His 
 forgiveness also. All these are bound, as it were, to- 
 gether : but more especially the last two divisions — the 
 means of asking for God's grace, and the means of re- 
 ceiving it. They are closely connected ; still you must 
 not confuse the one with the other, and answer, as three 
 
356 OBSERVING THE OUTWARD SIGN 
 
 out of four do answer^ when I ask them by what means 
 they expect to receive God^s grace ; you must not say, 
 by praying for it. True it is that if you do not pray you 
 will not have ; but to ask is one thing, and to receive is 
 another. You ask in prayer; you receive through 
 GoD^s ordinances. 
 
 An ordinance means a thing ordered or commanded. 
 GoD^s ordinances therefore mean things ordered or com- 
 manded by God. From the very beginning of the 
 world down to the present day God^s rule seems to be 
 precisely the same. Whatever grace or mercy He de- 
 signed to bestow on man, He seems invariably to have 
 annexed to it the performance on man^s part of some 
 slight outward sign. If man performed the duty, then 
 God gave him the blessing ; if man neglected or de- 
 spised the duty, then he lost the blessing. The blessing 
 came from God, but the channel God used to convey it 
 to man was the ordinance. Man received the blessing 
 through the ordinance. This trial seems to be given in 
 order to prove his faith ; and, in order to prove it 
 thoroughly, we find that a difficult or costly service is 
 very seldom selected by God. It is something very 
 easy of performance, something that anybody can do, 
 something that if he does not do, it cannot be from 
 want of ability, but because he does not believe the 
 promises which God has attached to it. Thus Adam 
 ruined himself and his posterity by eating of one tree 
 rather than of another. Moses lost his life because he 
 struck the rock instead of speaking to it. Naaman had 
 nearly missed being cured of his leprosy, because he 
 refused to perform the outward sign ; but on his coming 
 to himself and performing it received his cure. Now 
 all this is perfect justice. According to the words of 
 the covenant which we have been considering all along, 
 God engages to give His grace or help, not to those who 
 do any thing to profit or benefit Him, not in reward or 
 return for service done, but to those, and those only, 
 who in return put their whole trust and faith in Him. 
 Now, it is quite evident that if God commands us to 
 do a thing that it is plain to ourselves is easy to do, and 
 
A REAL MARK OF FAITH. 357 
 
 we do not do it^ it must be that we have no faith in 
 GoDj that we do not believe that we shall get any good 
 by doing it^ or receive any harm by not doing it. T^^e 
 therefore show that we have no faith on our part. Gon 
 therefore gives no grace on His part^, and without His 
 grace we perish. I mean this, plainly ; if Gon tells us, 
 " Whoso eateth this bread shall live for ever/' and we, 
 having this bread before us, will not eat of it, we say by 
 our deeds that we do not believe God. 
 
 To show us that it is a matter of God's free grace that 
 we receive the blessing, the outward sign is always 
 something totally insufficient to produce the effect. 
 Moses stretches forth his rod and all Egypt is plagued ; 
 he strikes the rock, the waters flow ; he raises his hands, 
 the Amalekites are conquered. Now, nobody can sup- 
 pose that the raising of Moses' hands, or his striking 
 the rock, did in itself produce the effect; but by so 
 doing he showed his faith ; and his faith was rewarded 
 by a blessing. So, if we go on — Elijah struck the 
 waters with his mantle, and they divided. Naaman 
 bathed in the Jordan, and he washed off his leprosy. 
 Hezekiah put on a plaster of figs, and he recovered. 
 The blind man whom Jesus had anointed washed in the 
 pool of Siloam and recovered his sight. The woman 
 touched the hem of Jesus' garment, and the issue of 
 her blood was stopped. These are but a few instances 
 out of hundreds which you may find from the beginning 
 of the Bible to the end of it. It is rare, indeed, to find 
 a blessing given without the performance of some act of 
 acknowledgment or homage ; or, in the words of the 
 Catechism, without some outward visible sign of the 
 inward and spiritual grace. Some people seem to con- 
 sider S. Paul's saying that we do not live by ordinances 
 to be a sort of forbidding us to perform ordinances. No 
 man lives by ordinances, but he lives because he shows 
 his faith by performing the particular ordinances which 
 God has ordained for him. S. Paul was writing to Jews 
 who wished to make all men keep their ordinances, which 
 were given to them in order to prepare them for the 
 first Advent of Christ; whereas, what God required 
 
358 
 
 Christians to perform were the Christian ordinances^ in 
 order to prepare them for the second. 
 
 Now an ordinance is of use only because God com- 
 mands it^ and as long as He commands it^ and to the 
 people to whom He commands it. It would have been 
 no mark of faith in Abraham had he struck the rock, 
 or in Moses had he sacrificed his son ; they would 
 have shown no faith in so doing, and they would have 
 received no blessing. Thus, also, we should receive no 
 grace by sacrificing a lamb at the Passover, nor would 
 the Jews in the wilderness had they eaten bread and 
 drunk wine. But God commanded them to kill the 
 Passover, and us to eat the bread and drink the wine. 
 By these two different things they showed then, and we 
 show now, the same faith; they showed then, and we 
 show now, the Lord^s death till He come; and we both 
 receive the allotted reward of faith — grace. Had they 
 neglected or despised their ordinance in their times, or 
 do we neglect or despise ours now, we both show the 
 same thing, w-ant of faith ; and we both alike lose our 
 reward. 
 
 We are not now considering the extraordinary means 
 of grace by which God sometimes, though rarely, does 
 even now bring men to a sense of their sins, such as 
 sickness, change of fortune, change of situation, war, 
 famine, and other special interpositions ; which we may 
 meet with, but which we have no right to look for, be- 
 cause God has not covenanted to send them. We must 
 consider only the ordinary channels — things which God 
 has already given us, and taught us to look for and 
 make use of. Among these I will not reckon prayer, 
 for there is no ordinance without it — it is rather like 
 the air by which we enjoy all things than an enjoyment 
 in itself. God^s ordinances are — Public Worship, 
 Beading His Word, Preaching. In a higher rank come 
 public services, ordered by the Church on its own au- 
 thority, agreeable to God's Word, though not specific- 
 ally mentioned in it — such as the Churching of Women, 
 the Burial of the Dead, Special Prayers and Thanks- 
 givings. Higher still are public offices, taken from 
 
SOME MORE NECESSARY THAN OTHERS. 359 
 
 God's own Word directly^ and ordered by the Church, 
 not on her own authority_, but because they are in God's 
 Word — such as the Lord's Day, Confirmation, Matri- 
 mony, the Visitation of the Sick, the Ordering of Priests 
 and Deacons; while, above all, the very seals of the 
 covenant, the very words of our Blessed Saviour, that 
 by which we are placed in covenant, and kept in cove- 
 nant, without which no Christian can be saved, come 
 the blessed Sacraments themselves. 
 
 In all these you will observe the same character, in 
 all these is some outward sign, some bodily act of wor- 
 ship, as well as some spiritual grace ; but more and more 
 plain, as the office itself is of more and more import- 
 ance ; the act of coming to church, the act of kneeling, 
 the ring, the imposition of hands, the washing, the 
 bread and wine, all these are outward signs, and they 
 are required of us for the same reason that the washing 
 in the Jca^dan was required of Naaman, and that in the 
 Pool of Siloam was required of the blind man, as means 
 whereby we may show our faith, and in showing our 
 faith receive God's grace. Do not let us deceive our- 
 selves in this matter ; if we believe Christ's words we 
 shall keep His ordinances ; if we do not keep Christ's 
 ordinances we do not believe His words. Do not let us 
 talk about being saved by faith ; it is very true Christ 
 would save us if we had faith ; but if we do not believe 
 His words we have not faith, and shall no more be saved 
 than Naaman would have been cured had he washed in 
 Pharpar or Abana, or the blind man had he not washed 
 at all. 
 
 We have seen that there are many outward means of 
 grace, and that the true believer will not neglect «ny of 
 them, knowing that with every help that God has given 
 and the Church offers, he can do no more than pain- 
 fully work out his own salvation, keep his faith sound, 
 and his obedience true ; still the Church has not taken 
 upon herself to pronounce any of them necessary to 
 salvation, except those two which Christ Himself has 
 made necessary conditions of salvation. When you are 
 asked how many sacraments Christ has ordained in 
 
360 THE WORD "sacrament." 
 
 His Churchy you are taught to say_, " two only, as gene- 
 rally necessary to salvation_, Baptism and the Supper of 
 the Lord." Christ has been pleased to make these 
 two acts the signs of our being or not being in covenant 
 with Him ; if we do them we are in covenant, if we do 
 them not we are not in covenant. 
 
 Let us see what we mean by this word Sacrament. 
 The Epistles, you know, were written in Greek, and the 
 Greek word which they use to signify what we call 
 Sacraments is the word Mystery. The clergy to whom 
 they were intrusted are called Stewards of the Mys- 
 teries of God. Now the Greeks, who had all their 
 lives been accustomed to hear of the mysteries of Isis 
 and the mysteries of Eleusis, understood readily what 
 was meant by that word; that is to say, the highest 
 act of religion to which the faithful only were ad- 
 mitted — but to the E/Omans it did not convey so clear 
 a meaning, because their religion was different : to 
 render it clear to the minds of that military nation, the 
 word Sacramentum was used by the Church instead of 
 the corresponding word Mystery, which we find in the 
 Scripture, and which has always been used, and is used 
 to this day by the Eastern Church. We are apt to con- 
 sider the word Sacrament to signify a sacred thing be- 
 cause the words sacred and sacrament sound something 
 alike. They are alike in sound only ; the word sacra- 
 mentum really does mean the oath of allegiance which 
 was taken by the Roman soldier on his entrance into the 
 army, which afterwards was renewed at stated periods. 
 This used to be called Sacramentum, and in the Roman 
 army was signified by the outward and visible sign of 
 stretching forth the hand at the time of taking the oath. 
 You may imagine how vividly this pictured to the 
 minds of a warlike people, the oath by which they swore 
 themselves to be Christ^s faithful soldiers and servants 
 in Baptism, as we find it in the Baptismal Service to 
 this day, and the renewal of it at the Lord's Supper, 
 whereby the Church Militant prepares herself for battle 
 against the enemies of the great Captain of its salvation. 
 
 The reason why there are two Sacraments is that they 
 
THE REAL PRESENCE. 361 
 
 show two different things. Baptism is for the remission 
 of sins — which is aptly signified by washing — but 
 ^'^ there is but one Baptism for the remission of sins/^ 
 therefore we are washed but once. Sin after Baptism is 
 put away only in the sense in which Nathan told David^ 
 the Lord had put away his sin^ that is to say, it was 
 put away, provided he amended his future life. The 
 consequences remained, and the former sin would be 
 reckoned at the Day of Judgment had David again 
 fallen into it. As therefore there is no farther remis- 
 sion, so the sign of washing off is never more repeated. 
 The bread and wine is a sign of strengthening. Now 
 " bread and wine is the outward part or sign of the 
 LoRD^s Supper. ^^ 
 
 " What is the inward part or thing signified V^ ^' It 
 is the Body and Blood of Christ which are verily and 
 indeed taken and received in the Lord^s Supper ^^ — 
 verily and indeed taken, and received. I beg you to 
 mark those words, because the great and dangerous 
 error of the present times is to regard it as a mere sign, 
 memorial, or form. Verily and indeed taken — our 
 Saviour says, This is My Body — and S. Paul explains 
 it, " the cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the 
 Communion of the Blood of Christ ? the bread which 
 we break, is it not the Communion of the Body of 
 Christ ?" 
 
 The E/Oman Catholics err by trying to be wise above 
 what is written, and thus, whatever they intend, ^ they 
 really do so mystify themselves, that most of their flocks 
 do believe in the actual corporeal presence of Christ at 
 the Holy Communion. They say that after consecra- 
 tion the bread and wine no longer remain, but are 
 changed into the Body and Blood of Christ, while 
 certain sects of Protestants err in believing no presence 
 
 ' The Eoman Catliolics profess to regard " substance " in a technical 
 sense only, as signifying that " quod substat," after everything visible, 
 tangible, or in any way perceptible to the senses, is removed from it. 
 These quahties they technically term " accidents." All this may be 
 quite orthodox to learned men, but what we have to do with is the sense 
 in which unlearned men actually do receive it. 
 
 R 
 
362 THE REAL PRESENCE. 
 
 of Christ at all. The Romish doctrine would be a 
 comfortable and a reverent doctrine were it possible to 
 believe it against the evidence of our senses, but it is 
 almost as clear to us that the bread and wine is not 
 changed in substance, as it must have been to the 
 Apostles themselves, when our Blessed Saviour standing 
 in His human body before their sight said, pointing to 
 the bread in His hand, This is My Body. How the 
 Protestant Dissenters can consider it merely a memorial, 
 with the plain words of Christ before their eyes, Whoso 
 eateth this bread shall never die — This Bread is My 
 Body — Whoso eateth Me shall live by Me, — I cannot 
 tell you, nor by what ingenuity they cheat themselves 
 out of their own privileges : but this is certain, — this 
 low view of the blessed Sacrament produces that care- 
 lessness about it which we see so often, and the conse- 
 quent withdrawing of God's grace leaves us in the state 
 described by the Apostle, wherein, merely for want of 
 something to steady us, we are " tossed about by every 
 wind of doctrine." I should not have noticed these 
 errors (as my object is to point out what is right, not 
 what is wrong) only that they will afford us a means of 
 coming to a right understanding of that very diMcult 
 doctrine, the real presence of Christ in the Holy Com- 
 munion. 
 
 The Scripture is. This is My Body — and there are 
 three interpretations put upon it. The Bomanists say 
 it means. This is literally and actually My Body. The 
 Protestant Dissenters say it means. This is a likeness of 
 My Body — and like any other picture or image will 
 bring it solemnly to your remembrance. The Church 
 says it means, " This is to all intents and purposes My 
 Body," — that is, it will impart to you the same inte- 
 rests purchased by My death, as if I literally made My 
 flesh your flesh. 
 
 Suppose in common life I were to point to a range of 
 country, and say, " This is your property," I use the 
 term in the same sense as that in which the Romanists 
 use the term, " This is My Body." 
 
 If I point to a picture representing that same country. 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS. 363 
 
 and therefore calling it to your mind_, and say_, '^ This is 
 your property/^ meaning the picture or representation 
 which calls to mind your property, I use the term in the 
 sense which the Dissenters apply to that difficult passage. 
 But if I point to the title-deeds by which that property 
 is held, which are all the while parchment, and nothing 
 but parchment, — but which still remaining what they 
 are, do give you real and actual possession of the land, 
 — and say, "This is your property,^^ then I use the 
 sense the Church puts on it. The bread and wine, 
 though all the time they are but bread and wine, and 
 nothing else, are the only title-deeds we have to show 
 for claiming a joint property in Christ^s heavenly 
 nature. 
 
 I have heard people talk about this being the putting 
 the Sacrament instead of the Saviour. You do not put 
 the cup in the stead of the liquor, still it is perfectly true 
 that without the former you cannot carry the latter to 
 your own lips, or in any way profit by it. You do not 
 put the channel of the river in the stead of the water, 
 yet it is not less certain that without the channel the 
 water will be dispersed and will not reach you.^ So 
 you do not put the Sacraments in the place of Christ, 
 — Christ, and Christ alone, gives you His grace, — but 
 He makes the Sacraments the means by which He con- 
 veys it to you. 
 
 If I am asked the question. Can a man be saved who, 
 where they maybe had, rejects the Sacraments? — awful 
 as the consideration is in the present state of the Church, 
 still the warning must be given, — I should say, as a 
 general rule, certainly not. That God may take into 
 
 ^ I preached this sermon on board the " S. Yincent," having had a 
 passage given me in her during one of her experimental crtdses some 
 years ago. I was afterwards talking to one of the men, who did not 
 fully take in the bearing of my shore-going illustrations. I made him 
 however fully vmderstand the doctrine of being saved by the Sacraments 
 in this way : If you are overboard, and a man heaves you a rope, and 
 you lay hold of it, you are saved by the rope — you are saved because you 
 lay hold of it, but he who saves you is the man who hove it : so in spi- 
 ritual matters you are saved by the Sacraments, you are saved because 
 you receive them ; but He who saves you is the Blessed Loed Who gave 
 them to you. 
 
 r2 
 
364 
 
 consideration sins committed in ignorance or in preju- 
 dice, is possible,, — that He will take into consideration, 
 for His SoN^s sake, any extenuating circumstances that 
 can be urged, is most certain, — but as a rule, as a thing 
 to look to and be guided by, I do not see how a man can 
 be saved who wilfully neglects the Lord^s Supper. He 
 has no faith, that is evident : no one who has faith can 
 neglect a thing instituted by Christ Himself. He is 
 just in the condition of Adam : a slight act is required 
 of him, the use of which he possibly does not see, but 
 he is required to do it, merely because it was com- 
 manded by Christ ; it is a trial of faith, and he fails in 
 it. Why should he have the reward due to those who 
 have kept the faith? The words of Christ are as plain 
 as words can be made, — " Except ye eat the Flesh of 
 the Son of Man, and drink His Blood, ye have no life 
 in you," — and the Church takes it up and tells you in 
 the Catechism that it is generally necessary to salvation ; 
 and if we return to the examples already spoken of, they 
 still bear us out. Can a man claim the possession of 
 property unless he have the title-deeds ? 
 
 That Christ might have sent His grace in fifty dif- 
 ferent ways, is most true ; but He did choose to send it 
 in that, and depend upon it, when we esteem lightly 
 what Christ puts a value upon, we despise Christ, and 
 shall no more receive His grace than would Naaman had 
 he washed in the Pharpar, or than did Moses when he 
 struck the rock which God commanded him to speak to. 
 
 But there is another class of men who also miss the 
 grace, — those who come lightly and carelessly to the 
 Holy Table. Foolish and inconsiderate people have said 
 that they did not see that some neighbour of theirs who 
 did go to the Communion was better than they who did 
 not ; they forget that the Sacrament is an inward spiritual 
 grace as well as an outward form, — that it must be eaten 
 in faith ; he, therefore, who goes to that Table without 
 faith, receives the Body and Blood of Christ no doubt, 
 but he receives it not to his soul^s health, but to his own 
 damnation. Outwardly, there is no difference between 
 him and his neighbour; inwardly, there is the same differ- 
 
THOSE WHO EAT THEIR OWN DAMNATION. 365 
 
 ence as there is between taking food and taking poison. i 
 Depend upon it, as a general rule, neither they who re- 
 ceive unworthily (i.e., unfaithfully), nor they who do 
 not receive it at all, can be saved, and both for the very 
 same reason, — because they have no faith, and without 
 faith it is impossible to please God. 
 
 There is danger, you will say, in receiving the Holy 
 Communion, and death in neglecting ; if we eat not, we 
 have no life in us, — if we eat unworthily, we eat and 
 drink our own damnation. What are we to do ? What ! 
 — why eat worthily, to be sure. Look at the last an- 
 swer in the Catechism, and tell me if you hope or expect 
 salvation on lower grounds than those of repenting truly 
 of your former sins, steadfastly purposing to lead a new 
 life, and having a lively faith in God^s mercy through 
 Christ, — the very repentance, faith, and obedience 
 which we have been considering all along, which were 
 promised for you at your Baptism, and without which 
 you will not see God, whether you do receive the Holy 
 Communion, or whether you do not. 
 
 To those who come with faithful and trusting hearts, 
 the Lord holds out the highest privileges. They per- 
 form their promises, and they come here to claim those 
 which God has made on His part. They are therefore 
 no longer in their own strength ; their souls are strength- 
 
 ^ A remarkable illustration of the doctrine that the things which should 
 have been for our wealth may be to us an occasion of falling, taking the 
 doctrine in its physical sense, occurred when I was a boy, at the Kttle 
 village of Milford, near Grodalming. A man, from some chronic disease 
 or other, had been recommended by his physician vinegar and water, to 
 be taken ia certain quantities periodically, which he did for some time 
 to the benefit of his health. A quack on one occasion recommended bim 
 to swaUow a charge of smaU shot, by no means an uncommon remedy 
 among the poor for indigestion. He did so, and taking shortly after- 
 wards his accustomed dose of vinegar and water, the vinegar combined 
 with the lead and produced a sort of Groulard water in his stomach, an 
 active poison, of which he died, as was proved afterwards at the coroner's 
 inquest. That which was his remedy became by his own foUy the cause 
 of his death. And spiritually, if with the sop the devil entered into 
 Judas, though that sop was only the cup of the Old Testament at the 
 begianiag of the Paschal Feast, how much more readily wiU he not enter 
 iuto us, when we with a hke guilty conscience have received the cup of 
 the New Testament at the completion of that Feast. It is that on which 
 we have received it that has turned our wealth into an occasion of falling. 
 
366 THOSE WHO OUGHT TO COME. 
 
 ened and refreshed by the Body and Blood of Christ 
 as their bodies are by the bread and wine ; they are one 
 with Christ — in His strength they overcome their ene- 
 mies^ — the world, the flesh, and the devil ; with Him 
 they lead captivity captive, and break off the bondage 
 of sin ; in His strength they keep the promises of their 
 Baptism and Confirmation. They have faith, they have 
 obedience ; and, if these perchance should fail, they have 
 repentance, which through His merits will be accepted. 
 With Him they have been buried in Baptism; with 
 Him they will rise again with their bodies, will ascend 
 whither He has ascended, and will ^^ meet their Lord in 
 the air." 
 
 ^^ O ye of little faith, wherefore do ye doubt ?" 
 
INFANT BAPTISM. 
 
 In the neigliboiiring town of Emsworth^ is situated a 
 conventicle of Baptists,, as they are popularly denomi- 
 nated^ that is to say^ of Anabaptists^ their distinctive 
 doctrine being the re-baptism of their converts. 
 
 It so happens that the leaders of this sect are very 
 energetic painstaking people^ and I really believe sincere 
 according to their knowledge. Their peculiar ideas, 
 therefore, are for the present the prevailing form of dis- 
 sent in the place. 
 
 Had they confined themselves to their own parish, I 
 should certainly have left them to be dealt with by their 
 own Parson and his assistants ; but, far too zealous to 
 be restrained by parochial limits, they have from time 
 to time seduced religious, but weak-headed persons, from 
 Westbourne, into the sacrilege of a second baptism, for 
 which sin I trust God will forgive them on account of 
 their ignorance, and me for not having sufficiently en- 
 lightened them. 
 
 On the occasion of a Confirmation held at Westbourne, 
 these Baptists contrived to secrete among the pews 
 numbers of their tracts, and, the stratagem ha\ing been 
 detected by the sexton, they distributed the remainder 
 among the school children. 
 
 Upon this it was that I wrote the following letter. And 
 I really did, perhaps a little from whim, put the tracts 
 thus supplied my school, to the use I mention, and thus 
 the children, in a very few days, learned to refute their 
 errors. But the practice not being very edifying, was 
 soon discontinued, and the books were torn, lost, or burnt. 
 
368 PROSELYTISING. 
 
 Most clergymen know what Baptist Tracts are, and 
 are perhaps surprised that they produce any effect at all, 
 displaying as they do such an immense amount of ig- 
 norauce, and such utter disregard of truth ; hut people 
 are very apt to measure the intellects of others by their 
 own, and to forget that a roundly-asserted falsehood is 
 truth to those who are unable to controvert it, and con- 
 fident ignorance is learning and knowledge to those who 
 are themselves too ignorant to detect the fallacy. 
 
 To THE Anabaptists of Emsworth. 
 
 My Dear Friends, * 
 
 I like to see people earnest and zealoife in their 
 belief, be that belief what it may ; I think it is a very 
 good sign, and I had rather by half that they should be 
 what the world calls bigoted, and stand up stoutly for 
 their belief, than be what the world calls liberal, and 
 keep shifting about between church and meeting-house, 
 faithful to neither, and therefore a disgrace to both. 
 
 If you are in earnest, of course you will be trying to 
 make converts. You are quite right in so doing. If 
 you honestly think that people cannot be saved by be- 
 lieving what the Church teaches, if you really think that 
 you and your friends know a great deal better than all 
 those wise men she has brought forth, if you are sure 
 that they are in the wrong way, and you and your 
 friends in the right, I cannot blame you for trying to 
 make converts. The only thing I wonder at is, that 
 God should have concealed these things for so many 
 years from such holy and such wise men, and should 
 have revealed them to you. 
 
 Still I think that you ought to make your converts 
 fairly and openly ; we do not hold that the end sancti- 
 fies the means, and though it may be quite right for you 
 to make converts, I doubt whether hiding your tracts in 
 the pews of my church, or distributing them among the 
 children of my school, can be considered a holy, honour- 
 able, or even honest means for gaining such an end. 
 
ADULT BAPTISM A CHURCH DOCTRINE. 369 
 
 You have, however, done me no great deal of harm, 
 the books you hid in the church I employed to catechize 
 out of on the subject of baptism, and very useful books 
 they were, for they pointed out the mistakes which others 
 had made, and taught the children how to avoid them. 
 
 Perhaps you would like to see the use I made of your 
 tracts. I will therefore take the last one which you have 
 lately distributed among my school children ; it is called 
 the " Baptists^ Concordance.^^ 
 
 The children brought it to me, and asked what they 
 were to do with it. I showed them how to make it a 
 very useful little book, by employing it as I am doing 
 now, as a text book on " Infant Baptism.^^ 
 
 Perhaps I may make it useful to you. Let us try. 
 
 Whenever you begin arguing you ought first to make 
 yourself sure of the doctrines held by your adversary, 
 else you may throw away a great deal of very good ar- 
 gument to very little purpose. 
 
 You are not quite right in saying that there was no 
 mention made of baptism in the Old Testament, because 
 you ought to know that the Old Testament contains 
 types of every thing found in the New. You ought to 
 have known that the whole race of Israel was baptized, 
 as S. Paul teUs you, in the Bed Sea, — men, women, and 
 children, alike. 
 
 However it is perfectly true as you say that S. John, 
 that our Saviour, that the Holy Apostles did baptize 
 grown-up people, and did require believing and confess- 
 ing their sins as a first necessary step, and I will go 
 even beyond you, and say, that those who, like Simon, 
 received it without so doing, received it to the very great 
 hurt and danger of their souls. 
 
 But the Church teaches this very same thing ; if I 
 had to baptize a grown-up person, and were to baptize 
 him without first fully satisfying myself, and my Bishop 
 also, of his faith, I should not only be committing a very 
 great sin, but incurring also a very heavy punishment 
 from the Church. 
 
 You and I therefore are at one upon this point. The 
 only thing that I complain of vou here is, that in argu- 
 
 r3 " 
 
370 THE REAL POINT OF DIFFERENCE. 
 
 ing against tlie Church,, you would lead your friends to 
 believe that we hold a very wicked doctrine^ which^ in 
 truth^ we do not hold any more than you. 
 
 But here comes a difficulty^ which I think you and 
 your friends will not find it easy to get rid of; there is 
 no doubt that he who is old enough to believe, and does 
 believe, and is baptized, is saved ; there is no doubt of 
 this, because our Saviour has said so. But how if he 
 die before he is old enough to believe ? surely you will 
 not say that he is damned ? and yet, unless you have 
 any downright promise from our Saviour, I do not see 
 how you can help saying so. We are all born in wrath, 
 and until we are made inheritors of the kingdom of 
 heaven, we must all continue in that state in which we 
 were born. What will you do to get out of this diffi- 
 culty ? 
 
 This is the real point of difference between the Church 
 and you. The Church knows she has a promise from 
 her Lord that infants shall be saved, and you cannot 
 see that promise. 
 
 The promise is, " Suffer little children to come 
 UNTO Me, and forbid them not, for of such is the 
 
 KINGDOM OF HEAVEN." 
 
 Now you cannot see that that is a promise. You think 
 that our Saviour is merely declaring His good will to 
 them. That comes of not considering the circum- 
 stances under which our Saviour spoke these words. 
 
 It is a very common mistake to take the Bible for a 
 book of rules, given us from heaven, to form our reli- 
 gion by. Our religion was given us by Christ Himself. 
 It was given, we are told, by word of mouth unto the 
 Apostles whom He had chosen during those forty days, 
 when, as the Bible says. He was seen of them *' speaking 
 of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." Upon 
 this, not upon the Bible, the Apostles founded the 
 Church. The New Testament is a record of things 
 done, and a series of explanations when things had not 
 been understood, and of admonitions when they had 
 been left undone ; it was not written till many years 
 afterwards. We judge from it how the Apostles acted 
 
OUR SAVIOUR^S COMMAND. 371 
 
 upon what our Saviour told them during those forty 
 days, and how they taught, and what they did : but as 
 the Bible is not a book of rules, it does not at all follow 
 that a thing, of which there is but little mention made 
 in it, is therefore a thing of little importance. Is there 
 one single word in the New Testament about keeping 
 the LoRD^s day? It only shows that the people, when 
 they heard it, understood it readily, and that the Apos- 
 tles had but little occasion to explain it. Now this 
 baptism of infants was just one of those things that 
 these people would understand readily, because it was 
 one of those things that was by no means strange to 
 them. 
 
 They were themselves already in covenant with God, 
 and they and their children had been taken into that 
 covenant long before they were old enough to under- 
 stand it. Isaac, you recollect, was circumcised, and 
 made one of God^s chosen people when he was only eight 
 days old, and so were all those whom our Saviour was 
 preaching to. Our Saviour was offering them a new 
 covenant, containing new blessings besides the old ; He 
 was giving them a new form for entering it, but the 
 covenant was very much the same sort of covenant as 
 that to which the Jew had been accustomed, who, when 
 he entered into the new one, very naturally thought that 
 his children, who had been partakers in the old before 
 they could understand, should be partakers in the new 
 one also. Therefore they brought young children to 
 Christ, that He should bless them ; but His disciples, 
 who had not been long chosen, and who were as yet but 
 half acquainted with the nature of their Master^s king- 
 dom, seemed to have thought, like you, that it was ne- 
 cessary for them to understand and to do something, 
 before God would give them His grace, '^ they rebuked 
 those that brought them.^^ (I do not know anything 
 harder to understand than that God^s grace is His free 
 gift, and is not given us as a reward for understanding, 
 or doing anything else.) ^^But when Jesus saw it, He 
 was much displeased, [that His own disciples should 
 have profited so little from His teaching,] and said. 
 
372 
 
 Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid 
 them not_, for of such is the kingdom of God." 
 
 Now remember that our Saviour always uses that 
 term kingdom to signify the Church. What He does 
 say, therefore, is, that the Church is made up of such as 
 these, — that is, such as children. Now baptism is the 
 entrance into the Church, and the only entrance that we 
 know. And can you suppose that by these words He 
 denies them entrance into the Church, which He says 
 particularly is made up of such as these are ? Would 
 not the Jewish child lose a great blessing by his father 
 becoming a disciple of our Saviour, if this were the 
 case ? The Jewish child was in covenant with God by 
 circumcision, — that is certain ; but if he was not to be 
 in the Christian covenant by baptism, he would lose the 
 one without gaining the other. 
 But it is not so. 
 
 When our Saviour said, Verily I say unto you, who- 
 soever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little 
 child, he shall not enter therein. He received little chil- 
 dren into that kingdom. When He took them up in 
 His arms, laid His hands upon them, and blessed them. 
 He gave them, we may be sure, no less a privilege than 
 they had enjoyed before as Jews. 
 
 But in the Gospels and in the Acts of the Apostles we 
 hear little more about this. Of course, disciples, Jews, 
 all His hearers, in fact, understood it fully, and acted 
 upon it. They wanted no further explanation; all 
 that had been given them ages ago, in the days when 
 Isaac was circumcised, being eight days old, they under- 
 stood at once that God^s grace now, as heretofore, was 
 free. 
 
 How do I know they acted upon it ? Did not S. Paul 
 baptize the household of Stephanas ? and will you tell me 
 that Stephanas had no children ? Was not the jailor 
 at Philippi baptized with his whole house ? It would 
 be a bold thing to say that there was not a child in 
 that house. I will venture to say that there was not 
 a household in the Bom an dominions without chil- 
 dren in it, because the slaves who were part of the 
 
THE COUNCIL OF CARTHAGE. 373 
 
 household married, and still lived in the house and 
 brought up their children in the house as well as their 
 masters and mistresses. S. Paul says simply^ that he 
 baptized the household ; he does not give himself the 
 trouble of saying the household and children, because 
 every Jew to whom he was writing had been circum- 
 cised himself as a child. If he had not meant that, he 
 would certainly have expressed himself in some such 
 way as this^ — I baptized the whole household of Ste- 
 phanas who were over fourteen and were able to under- 
 stand my preaching. 
 
 This was the custom of the Apostles while they livedo 
 and this was the custom of the Church after they were 
 dead. How do I know this^ you will say ? Upon pre- 
 cisely the same grounds as those on which the author 
 of your tract says that the baptism of infants was not 
 introduced till the third century ; I know it from the 
 Council of Carthage. Yery much afraid I am that he 
 was deceiving you intentionally, when he said that it 
 was in the third centnry that that custom was intro- 
 duced. If it were so, the matter would be perfectly set 
 at rest; no doctrine introduced in the third century 
 could be true doctrine^ because no doctrine can be true 
 which does not proceed from Christ or His inspired 
 Apostles. But it is not so ; the Council of Carthage 
 held in the third century was the first time when infant 
 baptism was talked about ; I will tell you how that was_, 
 and then leave you to judge,, from the way in which it 
 was mentioned^ whether it was then a new thing. 
 
 Children among the Christians used then to be bap- 
 tized at the age at which^ among the Jews^ tt^ey t^^d 
 been circumcised, that is to say, the eighth day after 
 their birth ; but as children did die under a week old, 
 and as baptism was always looked upon as the entrance 
 into the kingdom of heaven^ parents were anxious^ and 
 not without reason, about what would become of their 
 children if they died before they were eight days old ; 
 and, therefore, when the council was met together at 
 Carthage, the subject was brought before them, not 
 whether infants might be baptized or not, but whether 
 
374 
 
 they might be baptized earlier than the age of eight 
 days. Now I think you will agree with me that this 
 proves pretty evidently that there was no doubt about 
 baptizing children then in any part of Christ^s Church; 
 it would be of no great use to consider whether they 
 might be baptized at an earlier age than eight days^ if 
 before that they had not been baptized at all. 
 
 This then is what I assert^ that infant baptism is a 
 command of Christ^ given in the fourteenth verse of the 
 tenth chapter of S. Mark^s Gospel^ which command we 
 might or might not have overlooked had it stood alone ; 
 but that if we compare it with the practice of the Church 
 from the beginning down to our days_, it is impossible 
 to misunderstand it. 
 
 Yes^ but your tract says that they were dipped_, and 
 not sprinkled_, or as you call it, somewhat learnedly, 
 rhantized. You produce exactly a hundred instances 
 in which the word baptism occurs, but there is not one 
 where rhantism is used ; if you had looked at the hun- 
 dred and first, (S. Mark vii. 4,) you would have seen 
 that you had translated the word wrongly, and that if 
 baptism does not mean sprinkling, neither does it mean 
 dipping. Who ever heard of the dipping of cups and 
 platters — washing is the word — and washing is the mean- 
 ing of baptism, whether that washing is done by dipping 
 or by sprinkling. But you say that dipping is the more 
 proper way of baptizing; so do I, and so does the 
 Church. Do read your own Prayer Book before you 
 find fault with the Church, and see whether the Church 
 does not tell you to do that very thing which you find 
 fault with her for not doing ; see whether the fault does 
 not lie in you, and not in the Church. This is what the 
 Church says, " and then naming it after them, (if they 
 shall certify him that the child may well endure it) he 
 shall DIP it in the water discreetly and warily, but if 
 they certify the child is weak, it shall suffice to pour water 
 upon it." 
 
 Now, then, if rhantizing, as you call it, is practised 
 with your children, instead of dipping, whose fault is it? 
 Try, demand of your parish Priest, after due notice 
 
THE DANGERS OF PRIVATE JUDGMENT. 375 
 
 given^ that he baptize your child by dippings and see if 
 he dares refuse to do it. 
 
 But you say Christ never appointed godfathers and 
 godmothers : very true ; but neither does the Church : 
 as a matter of doctrine, she has no right to do so. 
 Therefore it is that she has ordained, that there shall 
 be one service for baptism, in which there are no god- 
 fathers or godmothers. She thinks it a very proper 
 thing, no doubt, to requii^e security that the child or 
 the person she admits should be properly taught ; and 
 therefore, just as you do not admit new members into a 
 club without a proposer and seconder, she requires sure- 
 ties ; but when these are not to be had, then she per- 
 mits the other service to be used ; and I never heard 
 that baptism was a bit the less baptism for want of the 
 godfathers and godmothers. 
 
 You see, then, that in fact, two-thirds of your sup- 
 posed difference from the Church, is no difference at all, 
 — that it is a mistake of your own, arising simply from 
 your not having read your Prayer Book. "While the 
 only real difference between us, viz., that besides bap- 
 tizing grown persons, we suffer little children also to 
 come to Christ, arises from your not having read the 
 Bible with sufficient attention. 
 
 And now see the situation in which you have placed 
 yourselves ; either you must be right and the Church 
 wrong, or you must be wrong and the Church right. 
 If it should so be that all the Church is wrong on this 
 subject, and that you alone are right, all that we have 
 done is to put a larger interpretation on one of our Sa- 
 viouR^s promises, not than the words will bear, but than 
 our Saviour meant us to put. And if this is done in 
 ignorance and in faith, we have every reason to suppose 
 that our Lord will pardon us. But if, on the other 
 hand, it should so happen that all the Church is right, 
 and you wrong, then see what you have done. You 
 have slighted a grace which your Lord has given you — 
 you have endangered, perhaps seriously injured, the 
 souls of your own children ; you have broken one, and 
 not of the least of your Master's commandnlents, and 
 
376 THE DANGERS OF PRIVATE JUDGMENT. 
 
 have taught men so ; and thus_, by His own word^ you 
 have become the least in the kingdom of heaven ; and^ 
 whereas that Master prayed that all His disciples might 
 be one, as He was one with the Father, and you have 
 made His word of none effect by causing a division in 
 His Church, you have gone against His prayers. This 
 is the situation in which you may have placed yourselves, 
 and all this will have arisen from going on in the light 
 of your own private judgment, instead of following 
 humbly the Tradition of the Universal Church. 
 Your well wisher and Friend, 
 
 Henrv Newland. 
 
LECTURE ON THE COMMUNION SERVICE, 
 
 DELIVERED ON THE WEEK PRECEDING THE CELEBRATION. 
 
 It is more necessary to give some rules about tlie be- 
 haviour of a congregation at tbe celebration of a Holy 
 Communion, because the Prayer Book itself gives so 
 few. — In this above all our other Services we ought, as 
 S. Paul teaches us, to let all things be done decently 
 and in order, and yet we find that in the office for Holy 
 Communion there is much less said than in any other 
 service about when we are to kneel, when to stand, what 
 parts are to be said aloud by both priest and people, 
 what parts by the priest alone. Most likely the reason 
 for this is, that as this service was the earliest published 
 in the English, it was not thought necessary to tell the 
 people how to behave, because they were all supposed 
 to know, — they were to do exactly what they had always 
 been used to do, except when some change was parti- 
 cularly ordered in the service. But now in course of 
 time the old rules have been so much forgotten, that 
 you will hardly find two congregations who behave at 
 all in the same way, nay, it is perhaps not too much to 
 say, that there are not usually ten persons in a congre- 
 gation who behave in one manner, except when some 
 pains have been taken to give instruction about it. This 
 may perhaps seem a little thing to speak about, and 
 yet, if any of you remark it, you will soon find that it 
 does give much life and earnestness to our worship, 
 when we all speak out in our right turn, all stand and 
 kneel at one and the same time. I believe the reason 
 
378 LECTURE, ON THE COMMUNION OFFICE. 
 
 of this to be the peculiar grace promised by Christ to 
 the two (or of course more) agreeing upon earth ; at all 
 events it is so, men do help one another^ and there is 
 always more devoutness in a church in which they are 
 all devout in the same manner. 
 
 But whatever you do, remember always that these 
 things are but a means to an end. The chief thing for 
 you to keep in mind through all the service in the Holy 
 Communion is, that Christ is present ; let every act be 
 something done to worship Him, — not a mere form to 
 be gone through because the Church orders it, but let 
 every look and word and motion be meant to show 
 honour to Him. Let our worship come from hearts 
 that cannot help adoring with all lowliness and awful 
 gladness, because they feel that the King of angels is 
 here. Every time we kneel to pray let it be as sinners 
 bowing at His feet Who is pure from all stain, — every 
 time we stand to praise, let it be with the deepest rever- 
 ence, as if we knew well that when we stand we stand 
 in the strength of Him whom we are praising : our 
 praise then should be spoken as unto the ear of Christ, 
 gladly, as if we could not but burst out with thanks- 
 giving, humbly, because our unclean lips are all unfit to 
 join the songs of the blessed spirits round His throne. 
 
 Now if you mil open your Prayer Books, I will go 
 through the different parts of the Service with you. 
 
 The first thing which you will observe is a rule, that 
 so many as intend to be partakers of the Holy Commu- 
 nion shall signify their names to the curate at least 
 some time the day before. Curate here means the 
 priest who has the chief care of the parish. This is a 
 rule which is not enforced, but it is a very good one^ 
 and might be very useful to any who wish to find an 
 opportunity for speaking privately to their clergyman, 
 and who have any doubt whether they ought or ought 
 not to come to this holy Sacrament. He can apply to 
 your consciences and to your own particular cases the 
 rubric that follows, and will guard you if it be neces- 
 sary from doing hurt to yourselves by not discerning 
 the LoRD^s Body; of which you are desirous to partake. 
 
LECTURE ON THE COMMUNION OFFICE. 379 
 
 If you look attentively to the directions in the ser- 
 vice itself, there is a peculiarity which cannot fail to 
 strike you. In all other places in which the Lord^s 
 Prayer occurs, the priest is directed to say it " with an 
 audible voice, the people kneeling and repeating it 
 with"*^ him, — here not only he says it alone, but the 
 people are not to say Amen to it as they do at all other 
 prayers, for the Amen being written in the same cha- 
 racter as the rest of the prayers, indicates that it is not 
 a response, but that it is to be said by him who says the 
 prayer. 
 
 This has its meaning. Prayer, and praise, even con- 
 fession may be made in common by the Christian body, 
 but grace is received, as the manna was gathered, by 
 each individual Christian for himself. The Lord^s 
 Prayer is the foundation of all prayer, this service 
 therefore would be imperfect without it; but in the 
 Service instituted for the reception of grace, each man 
 makes it for himself. Having received each one of us 
 our portion, we then thank Gron together, feeling that if 
 he that has gathered much has nothing over, yet he 
 that has gathered little has no lack. We thank God 
 together for that, which though received individually, is 
 a blessing to all; and when we repeat the Lord^s 
 Prayer, then the people are especially directed to " re- 
 peat after the Priest every petition.^' Those who com- 
 plain of the repetition of the Lord's Prayer in this 
 Service do it through ignorance — the words may be 
 repeated, the idea is not. We first pray for our daily 
 bread, our spiritual daily bread in this instance, ac- 
 cording to our respective needs, and for the advance- 
 ment of His kingdom in our hearts ; this therefore we 
 do each man for himself; having obtained this, we then 
 pray in common that we may not hinder it from being 
 our daily bread, but that in helping one another, and 
 edifying one another, and working with God for our 
 own and our neighbour's advancement in common holi- 
 ness, we may set forward the coming of His kingdom. 
 
 At the end of the Collect following, the Amen is 
 written in a different way : this indicates that he who 
 
380 LECTURE ON THE COMMUNION OFFICE. 
 
 says the prayer is to stop at the end of it_, and let others 
 make it their own by saying to it the Amen. 
 
 You may easily see the meaning of this Collect. We 
 are about to receive Christ within our hearts. What 
 would be the consequence of receiving within us Him 
 to whom ^' all hearts are open, all desires known, and 
 from whom no secrets are hid/'' if the thoughts of those 
 hearts had not been before cleansed by the " inspiration 
 of His Holy Spirit ?^^ 
 
 The rehearsing of the Commandments by the priest 
 is a preparation for the confession which we shall come 
 to presently, and I have already shown you how to 
 make it so ; if you have thought over your past life for 
 the last month or so before you come to Church, with 
 the paper of questions which I have given you for self- 
 examination, the mere repeating of GoD^s words by 
 GoD^s ambassadors will be quite sufficient to recall it. 
 
 Then comes the special prayer for the week, the 
 Collect, and after that you rise from your knees to hear 
 the special lesson upon which that prayer is founded, 
 the epistle and gospel. The creed, or general confes- 
 sion of faith, which we make immediately after that, is 
 intended to remind us, that though these particular pas- 
 sages of Scripture may bring before us more strongly 
 this or that point of our faith, yet that no one of them 
 all is sufficient for our salvation, — that we believe in all, 
 and all alike ; in God the Father who made, in God 
 the Son who redeemed, in God the Holy Ghost who 
 sanctifieth. Having heard and joined in this general 
 confession of Faith, the priest without scruple proceeds 
 to enlarge upon some one particular portion of it, gene- 
 rally that suggested by the epistle and gospel for the 
 day, in what we call the sermon : that is the meaning 
 of the word " then^^ — tJieUj the people having declared 
 their belief in all the articles of the Christian Faith, 
 the priest shall explain one of them. 
 
 We then offer our alms to God. This we should do 
 standing, though we may kneel when we are actually 
 making- our offering : we do this now, because we are 
 just going to offer to Him a sacrifice, that of ^^our- 
 
LECTURE OF THE COMMUNION OFFICE. 381 
 
 selves, our souls and bodies/^ we would give an earnest 
 that we are ready to be fellow- workers with Him in His 
 works of mercy ; and with these we offer also our ob- 
 lations, anything that is destined for the service of God ; 
 for it is the same thing whether we offer to Christ 
 directly, or to Christ through His poor. Among these 
 oblations are the bread and wine which are to become 
 the outward and visible signs of the inward and spiritual 
 grace : it is ordinary bread and common wine, such as 
 might at any other time strengthen and refresh our 
 bodies, as the Lord fed the five thousand with that 
 which He took from among them, as the Lord preserves 
 all His faithful to eternal life by that which He took 
 from their own immortality. 
 
 Then, having prepared ourselves individually, we begin 
 our act of communion together by praying for the whole 
 state of Christ^s Church Militant here on earth, for all 
 who in common with ourselves are still undergoing their 
 trials. This should be said, like all other prayers, kneeling. 
 
 But you stand at the words, " Dearly beloved in the 
 Lord," for here the priest is giving you the final warn- 
 ing, that which again points out to you that you are not 
 doing a thing which may benefit but cannot injure, but 
 one of which " as the blessing is great so is the danger 
 great also." This final warning is an old custom, almost 
 as old as the Apostles, the deacon always used to warn 
 those who were excommunicated either by their own 
 sentence or that of the Church, to retire at this time ; 
 and this is the fittest time for those who have not yet 
 been admitted into full Communion, or who have ex- 
 communicated themselves, to withdraw from the pre- 
 sence of God. 
 
 The next exhortation is to the faithful only, and they 
 are told to draw near with faith. In many churches 
 they do actually draw near after the rest are gone, and 
 assemble in the chancel, and in the body of the church. 
 This is very much better than remaining scattered in 
 their own seats : the more we gather ourselves together 
 the more we shall feel that we are all one family met in 
 our Father^s house, all coming with the same weak na- 
 
382 LECTURE ON THE COMMUNION OFFICE. 
 
 ture, to be fed and nourislied with the one Bread of 
 Life. 
 
 But we are not only to draw near, we are to make 
 our confession. The value of this confession will de- 
 pend very much upon the use we have made of our time 
 for preparation, and the awaking of our consciences 
 when we listened to the rehearsal of God^s command- 
 ments : it should be made on our knees, because it is a 
 humble confession made by sinners to an Almighty God ; 
 it should be made aloud and together, because we are 
 making it as a family to a common Father. You can- 
 not be too humble and earnest in thus telling out your 
 thoughts to God, — the greater your shame the more 
 hope of His mercy. 
 
 After this prayer the priest or the bishop stands up 
 and turns to the people. Before this he had been turn- 
 ing away fi'om them, because he and they together were 
 all speaking to God, all accusing themselves of their 
 offences, all looking to God alone for pity and forgive- 
 ness, but now the priest turns round as God^s ambas- 
 sador to proclaim the gospel or good tidings with which 
 he has been entrusted, now he brings a message from 
 God to the people, he cheers them with a promise of 
 pardon from a heavenly Father. Bow your heads low 
 at these words of mercy, and listen to them as if they 
 were a voice from God Himself. Forget the minister 
 — he is not speaking of himself, but declaring to you 
 what God has put into his mouth. Drink in every 
 word he utters with thirsty ears, apply it in your mind 
 to those sins of which you are conscious, and devoutly 
 believe that if you are truly penitent you are forgiven. 
 And so be thankful. 
 
 ^^ Then shall the Priest say.^^ Mark the value of this 
 word " then,^^ — it means then, after you have grieved 
 over your sins, after you have confessed them, after you 
 have received God^s message of pardon sent by His 
 minister, then you may listen with comfort to such sen- 
 tences as these : they are not meant to be taken gene- 
 rally, they are addressed to you only. He shows you 
 your Saviour^ s mercy. 
 
LECTURE ON THE COMMUNION OFFICE. 383 
 
 That the Lord refreshes them that are heavy laden. 
 
 That the Lord came into the world that we sinners 
 should have everlasting life. 
 
 That the Lord has ascended to the Father to plead 
 for US and be onr Advocate. 
 
 He then tells yon to lift up your hearts^ that is to be 
 joyful^ to cast your care away : you join him — you say 
 you are joyful — he then reminds you Whom you have 
 to thank for this ; and when you admit it and say you 
 are ready to thank God^ he turns — for hitherto he had 
 been speaking to you — he turns to God and speaks in 
 your name ; and while you kneel behind him and listen 
 to him doing it^ he offers up his and your thanksgiving, 
 adding them to those of the "Angels and Archangels, 
 and all the company of heaven.^^ Do not forget Elisha 
 in Dothan ; how he told his follower that " they that 
 are with us are more than they that are with them," 
 and then that the Lord opened His servant^ s eyes, and 
 he saw the whole mountain full of horses and chariots 
 of fire round about them. All the heavenly servants 
 of Christ, as our Lord is there, throng around Him 
 to do Him honour, and, with them, " we laud and mag- 
 nify His glorious Name, evermore praising Him, and 
 saying" — Here at these words all should join in lifting 
 up their voices with awe to raise one song both for 
 angels and men, saying out loud, " Holy, Holy, Holy, 
 Lord God of Hosts, Heaven and earth are full of Thy 
 glory, glory be to Thee, O Lord Most High. Amen." 
 
 " Woe is me," said Isaiah, after he had seen such a 
 vision, " for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in 
 the midst of a people of unclean lips ; for mine eyes 
 have seen the Lord of Hosts." It is with some such 
 feeling that the Priest again kneels down at the altar 
 and acknowledges, in the name of himself and his 
 people, that we are none of us fit to receive so great a 
 blessing as the Holy Communion, but prays that God 
 in His mercy will grant that we may " so eat the Flesh 
 of His dear Son Jesus Christ and drink His Blood, 
 that our sinful bodies may be made clean by His Body, 
 and our souls washed through His most precious Blood, 
 
384 LECTURE ON THE COMMUNION OFFICE. 
 
 and that we may evermore dwell in Him and He in us/^ 
 Follow tMs prayer with all your soul, and apply it to 
 yourselves vrith a hearty " Amen ^^ at the end. 
 
 Now comes the most solemn part of all the service — 
 the Prayer of Consecration. Now it is that the bread 
 is broken and the cup is blessed^ as S. Paul teaches us, 
 to be the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ. 
 Now it is that Christ by His word and power works 
 the miracle of making the Bread and Wine the means 
 by which we feed on Him, eat His Flesh and drink His 
 Blood. Now every earnest communicant should plead 
 the Sacrifice of Christ before God, beseeching the 
 Father to look on the memorial of His Son^s wounded 
 Body, and, for the sake of the death and passion of the 
 Lord Jesus, to hear and to forgive us. All our thoughts 
 should be fixed on the sacred Body broken on the Cross 
 for us, and that precious Blood streaming from His side 
 to cleanse us. 
 
 At the end of the consecration, when the words, 
 " This is My Body, this is My Blood," have been said, 
 let us fill our minds with the remembrance of all the 
 Saviour^s acts of love; let us worship and adore Christ 
 our Lord with the most loving devotion of body and 
 soul, saying to ourselves some such words as these, " I 
 adore thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, God from everlasting 
 in the bosom of the Father. I adore Thee made man, 
 in the Virgin^ s womb for me. I adore Thee in Thy 
 great love living on earth, tempted and sufiering for 
 my sake. I adore Thee hanging on the Cross even to 
 the death, to take away my sins. I adore Thee buried, 
 rising again, conquering the grave. I adore Thee as- 
 cended into heaven, seated in glory, sending down the 
 Spirit. I adore Thee, Holy Son of God, here present 
 amongst us, and with all humility of soul and body I 
 cast myself down and bow before Thy Majesty." 
 
 After this the priest and other ministers will receive 
 the Holy Communion. Be sure you pray for them that 
 God may pour into them all His graces. While you 
 are waiting to go up to the Holy Table remain humbly 
 kneeling upon your knees. Do not waste this time, for 
 
LECTURE ON THE COMMUNION OFFICE. 385 
 
 you may make it most precious to yourselves and others. 
 This is not the time for thinking of our sins, these let 
 us hope we have thought of and repented, and confessed 
 in the earlier part of the service. You need not thiak 
 of them just now, because we have just received God^s 
 message of forgiveness for them. Your occupation now 
 should be returning meet thanks for this; thanking 
 God, as He would be thanked, with your lives rather 
 than your lips. Hitherto your thoughts have been on 
 your past lives : now turn them to your future ; make 
 good resolutions of amendment, not general resolutions, 
 but say, I will do this or that particular thing, and I 
 will begin to-morrow or to-day : do this just as you are 
 preparing to receive the grace of God^ and He will 
 put a seal on your resolution and enable you to keep it. 
 
 When can you expect that God will be so ready to 
 hear as when His Church is solemnly pleading before 
 Him the merits of the Sacrifice of Christ, through 
 Whom, and for Whose sake it is that we receive all that 
 we have ? When your turn is come to receive, go up 
 to the Holy Table with the deepest reverence, like one 
 going up to the very throne of Christ. Your Lord 
 and King is there, you cannot see Him, but He sees 
 you. Do all as if you felt His eye upon you, kneel 
 down on the steps, and remember that Christ is about 
 to come into your soul. Think what you are, how un- 
 worthy of such love, how sinful, what an unspeakable 
 favour that the Son of God should dwell in your heart 
 to make it clean. What joy for you if you repent, that 
 Christ will know every fault in you and will purge it out. 
 
 When the Priest comes to you he will say, '^'^The 
 Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for 
 thee, preserve thy body and soul to everlasting life.^^ 
 Here answer softly, " Amen." ^' Take and eat this in 
 remembrance that Christ died for thee, and feed on 
 Him in thy heart by faith with thanksgiving." Listen 
 devoutly to these words of promise, and then open your 
 hand, that the precious gift may be laid reverently upon 
 it. This is the rule given us by a Bishop of the Church. 
 " Come not," he says, '^ with thy fingers open, but make 
 
 s 
 
386 LECTURE ON THE COMMUNION OFFICE. 
 
 thy left hand as it were a throne for thy right, which is 
 just going to receive the King. Receive the Body of 
 Christ into thy palm, giving heed lest thou lose any 
 ofit/^ 
 
 After receiving the bread and the cup, go back to 
 your place, there kneel down until the end of the ser- 
 vice. If there are still others receiving, bless and praise 
 God for the gift that is in you. And do not forget to 
 pray for them also. 
 
 When all have communicated, and the Priest begins 
 the Lord's Prayer, remember now that you, as Chris- 
 tians in communion vrith your Lord, and with one an- 
 other through Him, having all received each one his 
 own portion of grace, desire to use it for the furtherance 
 of God's kingdom, for common benefit, and common 
 edification ; pray therefore together and aloud, repeat 
 after him every petition, praying that you may profit 
 jointly by the daily bread you have severally received. 
 
 Then in silence attend to the next prayer. It is not 
 only " remission of sins '' for which you are praying in 
 behalf of yourselves and those with whom you are in 
 communion, it is " all other benefits of His Passion,^' 
 it is the fruits of the Cross, it is the manifestation of the 
 Divine Spirit in the midst of your corrupt nature. 
 Confessing that you are unworthy to ofier any sacrifice, 
 you pray Him to accept this, which is ^' your bounden 
 duty and service.'' You *^^ offer and present to God 
 yourselves, your souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, 
 holy, and lively sacrifice to God," and having done this 
 with an honest and a faithful heart, you are entitled to 
 lift up your voices together, and give glory to God on 
 high in that hymn which at the birth of Christ was 
 begun by the angels of heaven, to be caught up and 
 echoed back again by us on earth whom He came to 
 save. 
 
 Then comes the last blessing, which you should hear 
 with your heads bent meekly down, praying that it may 
 indeed bring the peace of God into your hearts. 
 
 After this, in your own private collect praise God 
 afresh for His mercies to your souls, ask His pardon for' 
 
LECTURE ON THE COMMUNION OFFICE. 387 
 
 wandering thoughts and imperfect service, wait quietly 
 in your places till you see the Priest come away horn. 
 the Holy Table; then return home, thinking with a 
 calm and holy joy how close Christ has brought you 
 to Himself. S. John himself, who lay on the bosom of 
 Jesus at His Last Supper, was not nearer to the Sa- 
 viour, nor more safe in the shelter of His love, than 
 you who have been made one with Christ. Lean then 
 upon your Saviour^s love, trust firmly in His strength. 
 Be sure that He can keep you from sin, little as you 
 can keep yourselves. He is in you to make your peace 
 with God. He has bound you to Himself, that He 
 may pour His life into you, to fill you with holiness and 
 the love of His Father. Watch carefully that you do 
 not, by wilful sin, cut yourself off from Him. 
 
 And now all of you use this coming week to prepare 
 your souls for Christ's Presence. Let nothing make 
 you turn away from this Holy Sacrament. Past sin, if 
 you hate it, need not shut you out, for it is here that 
 Christ forgives you. If you are young, and fear that 
 you shall be weak and giddy, of all things do not turn 
 away from Christ, for He alone can make you firm and 
 steady against temptation. Never think you can first 
 make yourselves holy, and then come to Christ. The 
 very reason why our Blessed Lord left us this Holy 
 Sacrament was because it is only by feeding on Him 
 that we can have life. Without eating His Flesh and 
 Blood, we must fall deeper and deeper into sin. If we 
 will eat His Flesh and drink His Blood, then, as sure 
 as His Word is true. He will dwell in us and be the life 
 of our souls, changing our evil nature into His purity, 
 holding us back from sin, making us to burn with love 
 to God, filling us with joy and thankfulness, until His 
 Presence is the one comfort of our days, the open sight 
 of Him in glory the one thing for which we long. 
 
 s2 
 
SERMON AT THE CELEBEATION OF THE 
 FIRST COMMUNION. 
 
 " The Chip of Blessing which we bless, is it not the Communion of 
 the Blood of Cheist ? The Bread which we break, is it not the Com- 
 munion of the Body of Cheist ?" — 1 Cor. x. 16. 
 
 LiSTEN_, my dear brethren, you especially who have 
 just been confirmed, listen with thankfulness and devout 
 love to the words in which God teUs you of that blessed 
 and wonderful ^ift, which you are now going to ask of 
 Him in the Holy Communion. Not only did He give 
 His Son once for all to die for you, but He gives Him 
 again and again to be your ^' Spiritual Food and Sus- 
 tenance^^ in that " Holy Sacrament.^^ Christ's own pro- 
 mise was, '' As the Living Father hath sent Me, and I 
 live by the Father, so he that eateth Me, even he shaU 
 live by Me.'' Christ is one with the Father ; all the 
 glory, power, and holiness of God the Father flows 
 into God the Son, our Blessed Saviour. AU the holi- 
 ness, strength, and purity of Christ flows into the soul 
 that feeds on Christ. This is the blessedness promised 
 to him that eateth Christ. 
 
 Yes, but how shall our souls feed on Him ? 
 
 He tells us that '' He is the bread of life which cometh 
 down from Heaven, that a man may eat thereof and 
 not die." 
 
 T\'here then shall we, who are famishing for food, 
 find this true bread to strengthen and refresh us as we 
 struggle against sin? 
 
 Christ Himself shall teU us again, ^^ The bread that I 
 wiU give is My Flesh :" ^' Except ye eat the Flesh of 
 
COMMUNION SERMON. 389 
 
 the Son of Man and drink His Blood, ye have no life in 
 
 What ! are we indeed lost ? dead in sin ? helpless ? 
 without power ? without strength to lead a holy life, un- 
 less we eat the Flesh and Blood of Christ ? 
 
 Yes, He Who is the Truth declares this. 
 
 Once more Christ gives us a gracious promise, " He 
 that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood, dwelleth 
 in Me and I in him." What words to be spoken to us 
 poor, sinful, weak creatures — to us who have a thousand 
 times sinned against Him — to us who grieve as we re- 
 member that we do sin against Him over and over again ; 
 unclean as we are before Him, weak and unworthy, 
 loving Him so poorly — wandering from Him so widely. 
 He calls us to Himself, to dwell in Him, to make Him 
 our home, our refuge from temptation, our safety from 
 the devil; and He, the Son of God, will dwell in us to 
 make us clean from all the spots of past wickedness, to 
 fill us with all holiness. All this Christ declares He 
 will do, all these wonders of His love and power, if we 
 will '' eat His Flesh and drink His Blood.'' 
 
 But what is His Flesh and Blood ? 
 
 " Jesus took Bread and blessed it, and brake it, and 
 gave it to the disciples, and said. Take, eat, this is My 
 Body ; and He took the Cup and gave thanks, and gave 
 it to them, saying, ^' Drink ye all of it, for this is My 
 Blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for 
 the remission of sins." Yes, and we can believe that 
 when Jesus took the Bread and blessed it. He made it 
 to be His Body. He Who fed the five thousand with 
 the five loaves, which were nothing among so many, and 
 yet filled and satisfied all, — He could by the words of 
 His power make the bread which He blessed to be the 
 means by which the souls of His Apostles should feed 
 on Him. 
 
 No doubt they who took the bread and the cup from 
 the Hand of Christ did eat His Body and drink His 
 Blood. They did verily eat Him and live by Him. 
 But can this be so now ? Will Christ now come into 
 our souls to give us life and set us free from sin ? Now 
 
390 COMMUNION SERMON. 
 
 that He is ascended into Heaven^ is not this miracle of 
 His love and power over ? Will He give Himself to us ? 
 Are His Body and Blood verily and indeed taken and 
 received by the faithful in the Lord's Supper ? 
 
 "We know to our great joy that they are, for our 
 LoRD^s command to His Apostles was, " Do this in re- 
 membrance of Me/' What Christ gave once and for 
 the first time to them, they were to give habitually 
 again and again to His disciples, till He should come at 
 last in open and unveiled majesty. Once in the upper 
 chamber, Christ blessed and brake, and gave the Bread 
 and Wine to His Apostles; with His one voice He 
 made them to be His Body and Blood, so that all who 
 ate fed on Him. Now Christ blesses and breaks by 
 the hands of His ministers. By their word He gives 
 power to His creatures of Bread and Wine, to strengthen 
 and nourish us to everlasting life. Therefore S. Paul 
 says, '^ The Bread which we break, is it not the commu- 
 nion of the Body of Christ? The cup of blessing 
 which we bless, is it not the communion of the Blood 
 of Christ ?^^ This is the mystery, the wonder, the 
 blessing of the Holy Communion, that Christ Himself 
 is there. 
 
 In this Holy Sacrament we find Him. What we see, 
 what we receive into our mouths, is bread and wine; 
 but faith receives more than these. The soul that trusts 
 the word of Christ will know that the Redeemer Him- 
 self is present amongst us, that the Bread and Wine is 
 the communion of His Body and Blood. We are sure, 
 from His own promise, that the Lord Jesus comes to 
 us — enters into our souls to dwell there ; that there is a 
 Communion between us and Him. He gives us His 
 might, dwells in us, makes Himself a fountain of holi- 
 ness in us, and takes our weakness unto Himself. He 
 binds us to Himself, that He may take away the sin out 
 of us, to make us like Himself. He nourishes us — 
 works in us to make us free as He is free. To come to 
 the Holy Communion is to come to Christ Himself, to 
 open out our hearts before Him, to show Him the sin 
 and death that is in us, and to beg of Him to be our 
 
COMMUNION SERMON. 391 
 
 food, to fill US with Himself, to diange us from sia to 
 holiness. 
 
 Come, then, you are going out into the world to fulfil 
 the difierent tasks in it which God has given you ac- 
 cording to your several abilities; come and receive 
 strength for your work — you are setting out on the dif- 
 ferent paths which God has traced out for you through 
 a wide wilderness, which, though the road to Heaven 
 lies through it, bears itself no spiritual sustenance. 
 Come ! take food for your journey. Here is the real 
 manna — the true bread from Heaven. Come, gather 
 each one of you his own portion — ^there is enough for 
 all, much or little, as God sees your work and your trials 
 require much or little — gather it ; " he who has much 
 will have nothing over, he who has little will have no 
 lack.'' 
 
THE CHURCH. 
 
 ADDRESSED TO THOSE WHO WERE LATELY CATECHUMENS, 
 BUT WHO, HAVING BEEN CONFIRMED, HAVE JUST BEEN 
 ADMITTED TO THEIR FIRST COMMUNION. 
 
 " Wherefore criest thou unto Me ? speak unto the children of Israel 
 that they go forward." — Ex. xiv. 15. 
 
 God has given you strength and guidance : use the 
 one, be led by the other ; but what you do, do yourselves. 
 The Holy Ghost will not drive you, neither will He 
 compel you, neither will He wait for you if you choose 
 to sit still when the rest are following. He will do none 
 of these things, and you need not expect that He will. 
 He will ^Mead the way/^^ and your business is ^'^to go 
 forward," — active exertion under God^s guidance is what 
 is expected from you now, — not words, but deeds. 
 '^ Wherefore criest thou unto Me ? Speak to the chil- 
 dren of Israel, that they go forward." This is what 
 God said to those whom He had chosen in those days 
 at the very beginning of their journey, and this was His 
 way of dealing with them throughout the whole of it. 
 
 Imagine to yourselves the feelings of the children of 
 Israel, when — having been delivered from the land of 
 bondage by their passage through the water, having 
 been preserved from him who was too strong for them 
 by the visible interposition of Divine grace, — having 
 been led to the mount of God, and there instructed in 
 
 * He will lead the way unto all truth — ddrjy^ffu — evidently alluding 
 this. 
 
THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL SET FORWARD. 393 
 
 GoD^s Law and Word from tlie moutli of His appointed 
 servant^ — they were bid boldly to set forward in tbeir 
 march to the promised land. 
 
 Up to the time of their arrival in the wilderness 
 into which God had called them^ they had been but 
 imperfectly instructed either in God^s commands or 
 GoD^s intentions towards them ; they had not till then 
 been supernaturally strengthened or supernaturally 
 nourished ; the Rock of flowing waters had not yet 
 followed them_, nor had the manna fallen from heaven ; 
 and God, Who is no austere Master to reap where He 
 has not sowed, had hitherto overlooked their murmur- 
 ings, their faint-heartedness, and their faithless fears; 
 no punishment had as yet fallen upon them, because 
 though preserved from dangers, they had not as yet 
 been strengthened for their journey. 
 
 Think what the feelings of this people must have 
 been, their minds now opened for the first time to the 
 full perception of the great things that had been done 
 for them ; the Law just printed on their hearts, — hearts 
 already prepared by gratitude to receive it ; their daily 
 bread assured to them ; the water flowing perpetually 
 for them in the desert ; full of holy confidence, — a con- 
 fidence entirely justified by what they had seen; fuU of 
 hopes, which hopes they might easily and speedily have 
 realised, had they but " led the rest of their lives ac- 
 cording to this beginning.^^ 
 
 Think of this, for this is just the situation in which 
 you yourselves are placed. You are now what the an- 
 cients used to call '^ perfect Christians,^^ — that is to say, 
 you have received the " whole armour of God, and are 
 fully enabled thereby to stand against the wiles of the 
 devil,^^ to work out your own salvation, and to win your 
 way to the promised land. " Why callest thou upon 
 Me?^'' said God, when the people hesitated, looking 
 rather upon their dangers than upon their Saviour. 
 " Why callest thou upon Me ? Speak to the people that 
 they go forward.^^ God has opened a way before you, 
 walk in it ; God has placed the means of safety in your 
 hands, use them. He will not save those who do not 
 
 s 3 
 
394 Christ's soldiers commence their march. 
 
 care about their salvation, nor allow those to display 
 their armour who are too idle to fight with it when they 
 have it. The Sword of the Spirit is useless if it is for 
 ever hidden in its sheath, and the Shield of Faith worse 
 than useless, — it is an absolute incumbrance, — if it is 
 suffered to hang idly by our side. 
 
 I speak to you as Moses spoke to God's chosen in old 
 time, and I say to you, — Go forward ! win your way to 
 the promised land ! and be not like the men of Ephraim, 
 who, " being harnessed, and carrying bows, turned them 
 back in the day of battle.'' 
 
 And now, take another warning by the Israelites 
 in the wilderness. God's army did not straggle into 
 the promised land one by one, each by the road which 
 it pleased him best to take ; the possibility of so doing 
 never occurred to God's soldiers then. Faithless they 
 were on many occasions, but their faithlessness never 
 amounted to such a point as to lead them to desert from 
 His army. They never fancied that they could subdue 
 their enemies singly, or with safety to themselves break 
 off from the fellowship of their brethren. 
 
 Neither must you. You are Christ's faithful sol- 
 diers, as well as His servants ; you belong to His army, 
 you are bound by the rules and discipline of His army, 
 and you must enter the promised land as part of that 
 army ; or you must die in the wilderness, as any other 
 straggler from the army of Israel would have done. 
 The Pillar of the Cloud was a guide to the host, not to 
 any individual of that host who took a different road 
 from his brethren. All these things were written as a 
 type for you ; you see that it is so, and you cannot take 
 one part of a type without taking the other. 
 
 And when I say they were written for you, I mean 
 for you as Christ's sworn soldiers. I do not mean to 
 tell you that no one can be saved except in the Church, 
 because I do not think the Bible would bear me out 
 in saying so. The Bible is the book of God's Church, 
 and what we read there relates to the members of that 
 Church, and to none else.^ That God has ten thousand 
 
 * This is the especial error of the Church of Eome, upon which it as- 
 
THE PASSAGE OF THE JORDAN. 395 
 
 ways of saving all sorts of heathens and all sorts of 
 Dissenters,, I have no manner of doubt : Christ died 
 not for the Church only, " but for all mankind/' But 
 in all this you are in no way personally concerned ; you 
 you are neither heathens nor Dissenters, and if you are 
 saved, it must be as the Book of your own Law points 
 out, and in no other way whatever. Now, you are 
 sworn to be God's soldiers, and to belong to His army, 
 the Church; that army is marching towards the Pro- 
 mised Land, the heads of its columns have already 
 crossed the Jordan, whose waters have rolled back as 
 soon as '^ the feet of the priests that bare the Ark of the 
 Covenant touched them." If you pass in that army, 
 the waters are stayed for you, as they are for the rest of 
 God's faithful soldiers ; if you like to leave that army, 
 you are at perfect liberty to do so, just as much as any 
 Israelite in those days ; but if you do, you must natu- 
 rally expect the consequence that would have awaited 
 him, — that when "the soles of the priests' feet are 
 Hfted into the dry land, the waters of Jordan will be 
 found to have returned to their place, and will be flow- 
 ing over their banks as heretofore," and that if you 
 
 gerts that there is no salvation for any beyond the pale of the Church. 
 If the Bible were the Book of the whole world, they would be perfectly 
 justified in saying so, but it is not. In that Bible we are expressly told 
 that the G-entiles are a law unto themselves : and this is quite evident if 
 we take the Bible in detail. The Law of Hoses was the Law of GtOd's 
 chosen people, and of no other nation upon earth ; the Psalms were the 
 rehgious worship of God's chosen people, and the Prophets, except in 
 those rare instances where other nations are mentioned by name, were 
 the Prophets of God's chosen people. But the Law, the Psahns, and 
 the Prophets, are the Old Testament. Again, when the boundaries of 
 God's chosen people were enlarged, and the Gentile nations were ad- 
 mitted one by one to the fold, (Macedonia before Troas for instance,) 
 the Gospels were written for those who were in the Apostles' fellowship. 
 The Epistles speciaRy, and most of them by name, were addressed to 
 the faithful, and to none others, and the Eevelation is the prophetical 
 history of God's Church ; but the Gospels, Epistles^ and Eevelation, 
 make up the ]S"ew Testament. No man is bound by the provisions of a 
 covenant into which he has not entered ; but when he has entered into 
 it, he must abide by its provisions. The Church then becomes his 
 Church; and the Bible, the Book of that Church, becomes the Book 
 whereby he must be judged. For the Churchman, there is no salvation 
 beyond the pale of the Church. We know nothing about other men. 
 
396 PERSONAL AND SOCIAL DUTIES. 
 
 would pass^ you must pass now upon your own re- 
 sources, not by the protection of God^s Ark, the 
 Church_, and God's covenants therein contained. 
 
 Hitherto I have said very little to you about the 
 Church. I have spoken to you about your duties to 
 God, your duties to one another, your duties to your- 
 selves. I have treated you hitherto as religious indi- 
 viduals, rather than as members belonging to a religious 
 body. 
 
 And so does the Church ; she shows you plainly that 
 you must learn your duties as individuals before you 
 learn your duties as members of a society. If you will 
 compare the lessons taught between Christmas and 
 Easter, with those taught between Easter and Whit- 
 suntide, you will see that, before teaching you the 
 things " pertaining to the kingdom of God,^^ — that is 
 to say, before explaining to you the constitution of the 
 Church of Christ as a kingdom, she teaches you closely 
 and diligently her requirements from you as individuals. 
 
 To understand the whole counsel of God, you must 
 view it in two lights, — as a private and personal obliga- 
 tion and covenant, lying upon every one of us just as 
 much as if there were not another person in the whole 
 world beside ourselves ; and as the bond of a society of 
 which each one of us is only a constituent part. 
 
 It is the permitting ourselves to contemplate one only 
 of these two sides of the question, that leads us into the 
 errors of Romanism or Protestantism as the case may 
 be. The Romanist allows his sense of personal respon- 
 sibility to merge in his social duties and privileges, while 
 the mere Protestant, viewing his religion as a personal 
 matter, which it is, errs in making it exclusively personal, 
 which it is not ; he forgets that, .if the Church of 
 Christ be indeed a kingdom, that very word implies 
 other subjects of it besides himself, who are bound by 
 the same laws, who enjoy the same privileges, and on 
 whose co-operation he is as much dependent as any one 
 member of the natural body is dependent on the co- 
 operation of any other ; and that it implies also one 
 code of laws binding upon aU these individuals alike. 
 
GRACE IS PRAYED FOR COLLECTIVELY, 397 
 
 •which cannot be relaxed or altered to suit the private 
 fancies or requirements of any private person. 
 
 If this be the case, you must see that, as Christian 
 Churchmen, two sets of duties are incumbent upon you, 
 and that when two are incumbent, the discharge of one, 
 how complete and perfect soever it be, cannot be suffi- 
 cient for salvation. 
 
 This is the Churches idea of our duty, and you will 
 observe that she carries it out strictly and consistently 
 in every part of her teaching. I do not mean only by 
 appointing a season for our instruction in our duties as 
 individuals, and a season for our instruction as Church- 
 men ; she does that, but she also makes this distinction 
 in all her services wherever she carries her instruction 
 into practice : — ^We pray in common because we need in 
 common God^s grace; and we all equally need God^s 
 forgiveness, since in the Body of Christ no member can 
 suffer without all the members suffering with it, there- 
 fore we all ask for it together. We thank God in com- 
 mon, for we all enjoy the same daily preservation^, — we 
 all enjoy the blessings of this life; the inestimable love 
 shown in the redemption of the world by our Lord Je- 
 sus Christ was for all alike; we have all the means 
 of grace and the hopes of glory. In all these points, 
 therefore, the Church considers us collectively, as one 
 body, as the Church. 
 
 But when the Great Father of that one Family be- 
 gins to divide unto His sons ^^the portion of His sub- 
 stance that falleth to them," — when the Great Master 
 of that one Household begins to portion out His talents 
 according to each man^s ability, or capacity, or need, — 
 then it is that the Church considers us and treats us as 
 individuals. Look at the Office of Confirmation which 
 you have just passed through, and watch the meaning 
 of its rubrics. The Bishop, when he was praying to 
 God for you, prayed for you all collectively, as for 
 members of one Church ; but when he came to bestow 
 on you that grace which he had prayed for, it was not 
 collectively, but individually, — each had his own por- 
 tion, such as each individually required. And this is 
 
398 BUT RECEIVED INDIVIDUALLY. 
 
 pointed out by the Prayer Book in a most marked man- 
 ner ; the words are^ " He shall lay his hand upon the 
 head of each one of them severally, saying, Defend, O 
 Lord, this Thy child, ^^ not these Thy children, — im- 
 plying that the particular child on whose head his 
 hand was then laid, besides being a member of the 
 Church, was also an individual being, as complete in 
 himself, as responsible in himself, and as much requiring 
 the particular portion of strengthening grace assigned 
 by God to him, as if he had the whole Body of Christ^s 
 Church in his own person. This is the way the Church 
 teaches, at one and the same time, the two doctrines of 
 individual responsibility and collective relationship. 
 
 The idea of this double duty, collective and personal, 
 is carried out in every similar service. Whenever we 
 pray for grace and receive grace, we pray for it collec- 
 tively and receive it individually. However many child- 
 ren we bring to the sacrament of Baptism, we pray, for 
 them aU, that God would " sanctify this water to the 
 mystical washing away of sin, and would grant that 
 [all] these children who are to be baptized therein 
 may receive the fulness of His grace /' but when we 
 dispense to them the grace so prayed for, we take 
 them one by one, and call them by their individual 
 name, that name by which they will hereafter be called 
 singly to judgment : and we say, ^^ I baptize thee in the 
 
 * It is very remarkable that the word used here is " child," and that 
 the word "servant" is specially added in brackets in order to provide 
 for exceptional cases, so that we are quite certain that child means child 
 in age as distinguished from a grown person. The idea of the English 
 Church therefore is, that children should be confirmed " so soon as they 
 can say the Creed, the Loed's Prayer and the Ten Commandments, and 
 be farther instructed in the Church Catechism set forth for that pur- 
 pose." The modem innovation, of confirming grown people only has 
 arisen from a faithless substitution of man's understanding for GtOd's 
 grace. It is entirely a modem idea, sanctioned neither by precedent, 
 nor by the laws of the EngHsh Church, nor by the customs of any 
 Church on earth, ancient or modem. It crept iuto our Church during 
 the scepticism of the Grcorgian era, and is continued now, wherever it is 
 contiaued, from the inexperience of our Bishops, who, selected from 
 schools, universities, or private tutorship, have in very few iastances 
 ever prepared a single catechumen for Confirmation ; and thus, unable 
 to judge for themselves, copy their predecessors' mistakes. 
 
THE CHRISTIAN FULLY ARMED, 399 
 
 name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
 Ghost/^ 
 
 So also in the Holy Commnnion. We pray together, 
 we confess together, we are even absolved together, 
 each man being left to appropriate to his own need the 
 general message ; our alms are presented in common, 
 the elements are consecrated for all alike, for " we are 
 all one Body and one Bread/^ But when those very 
 same elements are delivered, that is to say, when the 
 nourishment of Christ^s Body and Blood is actually 
 imparted, it is in those proportions which each indivi- 
 dually requires according to his own personal need, and 
 at his own personal responsibility, like the Israelites, we 
 gather each one for himself, but so that ^^ he that gathers 
 much has nothing over, and he that gathers little has no 
 lack/^ The Bread and the Wine, therefore, are not 
 given to all at once, but to each individually ; " and 
 when he [the Minister] delivereth the Bread or the Cup 
 to any one, he shall say. The Body of Christ, which 
 was given, or the Blood of Christ, which was shed for 
 thee, preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting life," 
 implying that Christ^s Body was broken and Christ's 
 Blood shed for that individual, just as much and just as 
 entirely as if there had not been another individual in 
 the whole world besides. 
 
 This is the Churches teaching throughout, and it is 
 not safe for us if we ever lose sight of it. We are saved 
 as members of Christ's Body, and we shall be judged 
 to have preserved or forfeited our membership accord- 
 ing to our personal discharge of our personal respon- 
 sibilities. 
 
 You have enough to think about now in what I have 
 already told you. Be very sure of this, that nothing is 
 ever ordained or done in the Church without some good 
 reason, and that it is your duty as Churchmen first to 
 obey your Church, and then to find out the reason, and 
 to order the rest of your lives by it. Whatever you 
 may have been hitherto, from henceforth after you have 
 been instructed and prayed for collectively, and strength- 
 ened and nourished for your work individually, you 
 
400 THEN BID TO SET FORWARD. 
 
 have a double character to maintain in God^s service, 
 your private character and your public character. You 
 have hitherto been so fully taught by the Church, that 
 the man of God is furnished unto all good works, and 
 you have now been armed by the Lord Himself. Take 
 your own places therefore now in God's army; let 
 those places be, ^^that state of life into which it has 
 pleased God to call you ;" do your duty in them : be 
 like GoD^s army mentioned by the prophet Joel, " none 
 of you break your ranks." God has placed you in your 
 own particular state in this life, — the Church, by His 
 command, has instructed you separately how to do your 
 duty in that state, — Christ points to the mark of the 
 prize of His high calling, — He unfurls the Eoyal Banner 
 of the Cross, — He places Himself at your head. Be 
 ready, — be willing, — be steady in your own places, — 
 keep your eyes fixed on the One Great Leader of the 
 One Great Army. And now march forward ! 
 
AUTHORITIES ON CONFESSION. 
 
 " And if by this means he cannot quiet his own conscience, but re- 
 quireth further help or counsel, let him come to me, or to some other 
 discreet and learned Minister of GtOd's Word, and open his grief." — 
 Exhortation to the Holy Communion. 
 
 AD CLERUM. 
 
 It is inconceivable how any doubt or question could 
 ever have arisen in men^s minds on the subject of auri- 
 cular Confession. Scripture^ reason, common sense, 
 and the English Church, are so completely in accord- 
 ance on this point, that there seems no room for differ- 
 ence of opinion. 
 
 If the Bible had never said anything about the matter, 
 the Church would have been fully warranted by common 
 sense, not perhaps in enforcing as a doctrine, but cer- 
 tainly in recommending as an act of salutary discipline, 
 that we should distrust our own judgment in our own 
 case, be suspicious of our own hearts, which we know 
 are deceitful above all things, and consult those who, 
 by their very calling, may be considered as experienced 
 in GoD^s Law, as to its bearing on our lives and con- 
 duct generally, and on our actions in any particular 
 instances. 
 
 If we reason by analogy, the common analogy of our 
 bodily ailments would completely bear us out. When- 
 ever we feel ill at ease in our body, our first idea is to 
 cure ourselves ; we try simple and safe remedies to 
 which we are accustomed, and which we understand. 
 If by these means we can cure ourselves, we are satis- 
 fied, but if we do not feel that they cure us, if we re- 
 
402 SPIRITUAL PHYSICIANS. 
 
 quire further help or counsel, we go to some discreet 
 and learned physician and open our grief; we detail our 
 symptoms to him, — that is to say, we confess ourselves 
 to him, and, so far as our particular need requires, we 
 do it without reserve. We distrust our own judgment 
 of ourselves, we put our confidence in him, and follow 
 his advice both with respect to the special medicines 
 which he prescribes and the general diet which he re- 
 commends. 
 
 We place our confidence in our physician rather than 
 in ourselves upon two separate reasons, — the learning 
 and experience of the physician, and our distrust of 
 our own discrimination and impartiality in our own 
 case. So absolutely is this last reason admitted, that 
 even a physician will not take upon him to prescribe 
 for himself, but confesses, so to speak, to some other 
 physician, possibly less learned than himself, and fol- 
 lows his prescriptions rather than his own, upon the 
 evident and admitted axiom that no man is a judge in 
 his own cause. 
 
 Not only is the analogy between the disorders of the 
 body and those of the soul evident and self-suggesting, 
 but it is scriptural also. Our Saviour is constantly 
 described as the Great Physician of our souls, and those 
 who act in His name, by His commission and under 
 His authority, are spiritual physicians also. 
 
 Surely this analogy will be found perfect throughout. 
 If we are so liable to deceive ourselves on our bodily 
 symptoms, that no one, however learned, will venture to 
 prescribe for himself in dangerous cases, upon his own 
 judgment of his own symptoms, much more are we 
 liable to be deceived in our mental symptoms, where so 
 many more disturbing influences are at work. If a 
 special education is necessary for the physician of the 
 body, is it reasonable that no such special education 
 should be required with respect to the physician of the 
 soul ? 
 
 No one will say that his body is superior to his soul ; 
 no one will say that the dangers which beset his body 
 are greater or more numerous than the dangers which 
 
THE MESSAGE OF FORGIVENESS. 403 
 
 beset his soul ; nobody will say that tbe decay or cor- 
 ruption which affects his body is equal to the decay or 
 corruption which affects his soul ; or will imagine that 
 the importance of his body^s welfare is anything like 
 the importance of his souPs welfare; no one passes 
 through life, or hopes to pass through life, or thinks of 
 passing through life, without at one time or other ap- 
 plying to the bodily physician for assistance ; is it likely 
 that it should be safe to do so without the assistance of 
 the spiritual physician ? If the Bible had been abso- 
 lutely silent on the subject, the very analogy of the 
 case would have suggested grave doubts. But the Bible 
 has not been silent ; it was hardly possible that where 
 the act of discipline was of such obvious necessity, 
 some records of it should not have been preserved in 
 the history of God's people. 
 
 Besides the numerous instances of confession in that 
 Book, where nothing is recorded except for our instruc- 
 tion and example, we have the definite command, 
 " Confess your faults one to another.'' ^ There can be 
 no question, then, about it as a matter of doctrine, as 
 a matter of God's will. It is found in Scripture, and 
 may be proved thereby. As a question of discipline, it 
 may be good and salutary for a man to confess himself 
 to some discreet and learned Minister of God's Word, 
 or it may be good and salutary for him to confess him- 
 self to some one else ; that may be ruled by the autho- 
 rity of man. But the Scriptural command is clear, — 
 he is to confess himself to somebody. 
 
 And as a command plain and clear the Catholic 
 Church received it. It ruled, no doubt, that the most 
 proper person to receive confession was the Ambassador 
 
 * The sense put upon this passage by Burkitt and others, that of 
 " confessing to persons injured by us the injuries which they have re- 
 ceived at our hands," is the only sense which the passage will not bear 
 etymologicaUy. The word in the original is ■jrapaTrrdfj.aTa, " falls," and 
 it is not inaptly rendered in our version by the word " faults," which 
 word is, properly speaking, the past participle of the verb to fail — to 
 come short in our duty ; and this suggests as its root " falli," to be 
 deceived by the devil. In every way duty towards God is the idea 
 suggested, rather than duty towards our neighbour. 
 
404 
 
 of Christ — not only because he might reasonably be 
 supposed to be best acquainted with the mind of his 
 Master, and the precise meaning of that Master's laws 
 and commandments, but also because to his keeping, 
 as Steward of God^s Mysteries, was entrusted the Mes- 
 sage of forgiveness. But while the Church so ruled, 
 it did not take upon itself to forbid confession to any 
 one else ; all confession is Scriptural, even open confes- 
 sion, such as is practised by the Wesleyans, but confes- 
 sion to God's Ministers is recommended upon the au- 
 thority and experience of the Church: 
 
 And in this sense was the command of S. James taken 
 up and acted upon from the very beginning of the 
 Church. S. Clement, Bishop of Rome, in a letter written 
 not later than the year 83, and while many of the Apos- 
 tles were aHve, bids every one ^^ into whose heart infi- 
 delity, or envy, or any such crime, had slily crept 
 (which certainly means sins against God), if he has any 
 care of his soul, to confess his sin to the Bishop or 
 Minister presiding over him, that by the Word of God 
 and his saving counsel he may be healed.''^ 
 
 In this advice S. Clement is followed by Origen, Gre- 
 gory Nyssen, S. Basil, and by a host of others far too 
 numerous even to refer to, who either counsel or com- 
 mand, upon similar occasions, that men " confess their 
 sins to the Priest, who by his compassion and skilful- 
 ness was able to help their infirmities, and at once to 
 take care both of their credit and their cure.^'^ 
 
 So, also, S. Augustine says, ^' Let us hear S. James 
 the Apostle evidently commanding this very thing, and 
 saying. Confess your faults one to another, and pray for 
 one another, because in this our Lord hath set us an 
 example.''^ ^^^ again, he says, " We are admonished 
 throughout the whole Scripture to confess our sins con- 
 
 * Clem, Ep. i. ISTon erubescat qui animae suae curam gerit hsec confi- 
 teri ei qui prseest, ut ab ipso per verbum Dei et consilium salubre 
 curetur. 
 
 2 Nyssen de Poenitentia, vol. iii. p. 176. Basil, Regul. Brev. Resp. 
 229. Origen, Horn. ii. in Ps. xxxvii. Bingham, Antiq. 
 
 3 Aug. Tract. 58. 
 
UNANIMITY OF THE REFORMERS. 405 
 
 tinually and liumblv, not only to God, bnt to holy men 
 that fear God."^ 
 
 It would be easy to show that none of these ancient 
 fathers held the doctrine of confession and the interpre- 
 tation of the passage of S. James on which it mainly 
 rests, in any other sense than that in which the Chnrch 
 of England holds it now. S. Basil, for instance, whom 
 I have already quoted as recommending confession, 
 would never have written thus, — '^ I do not make con- 
 fession with my lips to appear to the world, but inwardly 
 in my heart, where no eye sees,"^ — if lie had considered 
 confession to the Priest as compulsory or necessary to 
 salvation. 
 
 But on this point there is very little necessity of mul- 
 tiplying quotations. In these days there is no great fear 
 lest the ordinance of confession be overstrained and held 
 in too high estimation : the danger is that it should be 
 forgotten as a means of grace entirely, and that an apos- 
 tolic command and a salutary practice, that has descended 
 to us from the earliest times of the Church, should fall 
 into disuse. For those who have any Bomanists or Bo- 
 manizers to contend against, '' Daille de Confessione Au- 
 riculari^^ will furnish arguments enough, and quotations 
 too, for though Daille was a bitter controversialist as 
 well as a Calvinistic Protestant, he was also a learned 
 man. From its dishonesty, his book is much more likely 
 to strengthen Bomanists than to convince opponents, 
 and is therefore not a safe book to trust to unpractised 
 hands ; but he has collected a great many authorities 
 which may be usefully handled by a Churchman. The 
 fullest authority among the ancient fathers against the 
 Bomish theory of compulsory confession is S. Chrysos- 
 tom, Homily 31, Homily de Poenitentia, De Incompre- 
 hensibili Natura Dei, De Paralytico, and many other 
 instances quoted by Bingham. 
 
 There is no one single point upon which the Beformers 
 
 of all countries and of all shades of religious opinion were 
 
 so uniformly agreed as on the subject of confession ; 
 
 whatever were their differences in other respects, this 
 
 ^ Aug, Horn. xii. 2 Basil, in Ps. xxxvii. 8. 
 
406 THE FOREIGN REFORMERS. 
 
 seems to be the point in which Lutheran^ Calvinist, 
 Church of England, and even the more moderate and 
 scriptural of the E-omish Church, were at one. 
 
 The Confession of Augsburg, which may be supposed 
 to embody the sentiments of Luther and his followers, 
 says, " With respect to the confession of sinners, [our 
 churches] teach that private absolution is to be retained 
 in the Church, although in confession the enumeration 
 of sins may not be necessary ; for the enumeration of all 
 sins is impossible, according to the passage. Who can 
 number up his secret faults?"^ 
 
 Melancthon is still more explicit. 
 
 " It would be an impious thing, he says, to deprive 
 the Church of private absolution, (with which he had 
 just been connecting private confession as its indispen- 
 sable correlative,) nor do those understand what the 
 forgiveness of sinners or the power of the keys really is 
 who hold lightly by special absolution."^ 
 
 In the Swedish Church private confession was re- 
 tained, and used to be held in the Church early on the 
 morning of the Communion Sunday, absolution being 
 then given by imposition of hands, — a relic of which still 
 remains in the Communionskrift, a service of general 
 confession held early on Communion Sundays, at which 
 all who intend to communicate are obliged to be present, 
 and at which they are absolved by a special form.^ 
 
 In practice the Calvinist bodies are far more strict 
 with respect to confession than the Lutheran, because, 
 though neither profess to make it compulsory, yet in 
 
 1 Articuli Mdei prsecipui XII. De Confessione peccatomm. Decent 
 (Ecclesise apud nos) quod Absolutio privata in Ecclesia retinenda est. 
 Quamquam in Confessione non sit necessaria delictorum enumeratio, est 
 enim impossibilis enumeratio omnium delictorunijjuxta illud, "delicta 
 quis intelligit?" 
 
 2 Impium esset de Ecclesia privatum Absolutionem tollere. Neque 
 quid sit remissio peccatorum aut potestas clavium intelligunt si qui pri- 
 vatam absolutionem aspernantur. 
 
 3 If this your confession of sins be sincere, if there be earnestness in 
 your amendment, and if your faith be true, then do I, as a minister 
 of Jesus Cheist, give you assurance that GrOD of His grace, for the 
 sake of Jesus Cheist, has forgiven you all your sins. — Swedish Prayer 
 Book. 
 
CALVIN, 407 
 
 practice many of their pastors^ by refusing Communion 
 to those who do not receive a ticket of admission which 
 is to be obtained from the Pastor and after a private 
 conference with him, do make it quite as compulsory as 
 the Eomanists themselves. This is particulady observ- 
 able among the Scotch Presbyterians, among whom a 
 Romish controversialist might easily collect instances of 
 priestly tyranny quite equal to any ascribed to his own 
 Church, and possibly of other corruptions also. Calvin^ s 
 own ideas upon the subject may be found in his Insti- 
 tutes of the Christian Religion. 
 
 '^ Moreover, the Scripture sanctions two kinds of pri- 
 vate confession .... In the former species of confes- 
 sion, though James, by not expressly appointing any 
 one into whose bosom we should disburthen ourselves, 
 leaves us quite at liberty to confess to any member of 
 the Church who shall appear to us most suitable, yet, 
 since the Pastors must generally be considered more 
 proper than others, we ought chiefly to make choice of 
 them. I say that they are more suitable than others, 
 since, in their very vocation to the ministry, they are 
 designated by the Lord to instruct, and to subdue and to 
 correct our sins, and to console us with the confidence 
 of pardon. For though the office of mutual admonition 
 and reproof is committed to all, yet it is especially con- 
 fided to ministers ; and so, while we ought aU mutually 
 to console and confirm each other in a confidence of the 
 Divine mercy, yet we see that ministers are constituted 
 witnesses and sureties of it, that they may afibrd our con- 
 sciences a stronger assurance of the remission of sins, 
 insomuch that they themselves are said to remit and to loose 
 souls. (S. Matt. xvi. 19; xviii. 18; S. John xx. 23.) 
 When you find this attributed to them, consider that it 
 is for your benefit. Therefore, let every believer re- 
 member that it is his duty, if he feels such secret anguish 
 and affliction from a sense of his sins, that he cannot 
 extricate himself without exterior aid," [almost the very 
 words used in our own exhortation,] ^' not to neglect the 
 remedy offered to him by the Lord, which is, that in 
 order to alleviate his distress, he should use private con- 
 
408 THE ENGLISH REFORMERS. 
 
 fession with his Pastor, and, to obtain consolation, 
 should privately implore his assistance, whose office is, 
 both publicly and privately, to comfort the people of 
 God with the doctrine of the Gospel/^ ^ 
 
 Our own reformers are not less distinct and clear upon 
 the subject. 
 
 Cranmer says, '^God doth not speak to us with a 
 voice sounding out of heaven, but He hath given the keys 
 of the kingdom of heaven and the authority to forgive 
 sins, to the ministers of His Church : wherefore, let him 
 that is a sinner go to one of them ; let him acknowledge 
 and confess his sin, and pray him that, according to 
 God's commandment, he will give him absolution, and 
 comfort him with the word of grace and forgiveness of 
 his sins. And when the minister doth so, he ought to 
 believe that his sins are forgiven him in heaven.'^ 
 
 Ridley, in a letter dated from his prison in Oxford, 
 writes thus : 
 
 " Confession unto the Minister which is able to in- 
 struct, correct, and inform the wounded conscience, in- 
 deed I ever thought might do much good to Christ's 
 congregation, and so I assure you I think this day/' 
 
 Latimer is of the same opinion. 
 
 " To speak of right and true confession, he says, would 
 to God it were kept in England, for it is a good thing." 
 
 As the foregoing quotations testify to the private and 
 individual opinion of our earlier reformers on the sub- 
 ject of confession, so the Homilies drawn up in 1562, 
 convey their public and authoritative declaration. In 
 these they reject the Sacrament of Confession only in 
 the same sense as the Sacraments of Baptism and the 
 Lord's Supper. The words are ^' Absolution is no such 
 Sacrament as Baptism and the Lord's Supper are, but, 
 in a general acceptation, the name of Sacrament may be 
 attributed to any thing whereby a holy thing is signi- 
 fied ;"2 from which expressions we gather that in the 
 opinions of the earlier English Reformers authoritatively 
 put forth, (1.) There is a sense in which confession may 
 
 1 Institutes of the Christian Eehgion, book iii., ch. 4, sec. 12. 
 
 2 On Cominon Prayer and Sacraments, Part I. 
 
THE POINTS OF DIFFERENCE. 409 
 
 be considered a Sacrament, and (2.) that it is a holy 
 thing. 
 
 In the earlier times of the Reformation there seems 
 to have been comparatively little controversy on the sub- 
 ject of confession. The Reformers of all countries were 
 absolutely of the same mind upon it, and none of them 
 appear to have considered the Romish innovations of any 
 particular importance. They rejected them, one and 
 all j but this rather because they considered them inno- 
 vations, than because they attached much consequence 
 to the matter. 
 
 This unconcerted unanimity proves two things, or, to 
 speak more correctly, affords a very strong probability 
 of them. (1st,) That the idea of confession thus adopted 
 without concert by all the Reformers, must have been 
 the real ancient and apostolic practice of the Church. 
 (2nd, and almost a corollary from this,) That those 
 points in which the Romanists differed from them, and 
 which they one and all rejected though without seeing 
 the importance of them, were really innovations. 
 
 Before speaking of those times when this subject took 
 a lead in controversy, and thus called forth the mind of 
 the English Church, we should do well to bear in mind 
 the particular points in which the Romish doctrine of con- 
 fession differed from that recognised by the Reformers. 
 
 These points were two in number. The Romanists 
 considered confession compulsory, and they insisted on 
 the enumeration of all remembered sins, whereas the 
 Reformers were contented with recommending it as salu- 
 tary, and required the enumeration of no other sins than 
 those which the penitent thought good to confess. 
 
 This difference is but small in theory, as Jewel says 
 most truly, but in practice it has assumed considerable 
 importance ; in fact, it makes all the distinction between 
 an institution eminently salutary and apostolical, and an 
 ordinance as eminently dangerous and injurious. 
 
 As soon as the doctrine of confession became a leading 
 subject of controversy, the importance of this difference 
 became evident, and then Romanists and Puritans alike 
 began to turn their attention towards suppressing it, and 
 
 T 
 
410 ROMISH AND PURITAN ATTACKS. 
 
 keeping it out of sight. The Puritan, who, professing 
 to belong to the English Church, yet wished to bring 
 the ordinance of confession into disrepute, naturally did 
 his best to load it with all those abuses, which, flagrant 
 as they were in ante-reformation times, were due, not 
 to the ancient and apostolic discipline of confession, but 
 to the Romish innovations upon it. While the Popish 
 controversialist, on the other hand, would lead his readers 
 to believe that, in suppressing the innovation, the Church 
 had put aside and repudiated an ordinance as old as the 
 Apostles themselves. 
 
 Thus it was that the English divines, in the days of 
 Elizabeth and James L, were forced by their very posi- 
 tion to show front against two opposite attacks upon the 
 same point. And to this providential occurrence it is 
 that we owe that clear and definite assertion of the doc- 
 trine itself as belonging to the English Church, which 
 we find in almost ail their works, together with the re- 
 pudiation equally clear and equally distinct of the Romish 
 theory, that Confession, to be efficacious, must be pe- 
 riodical, and must include all remembered sins. 
 
 It may seem singular that the Puritans, deriving their 
 origin from those English Protestants, who during the 
 Marian persecutions were forced to seek shelter in foreign 
 countries, and who thus imbibed their peculiarities from 
 Cahdn and his followers, should repudiate and assail a 
 doctrine which their own leader maintained and upheld ; 
 but this is the case invariably with bodies of Christians 
 who cut themselves off from the Communion of Christ^s 
 Church. At first they seem to take with them all 
 Church doctrines, to bring some of them it may be even 
 into greater prominence and distinction, as Calvin did 
 those of the Atonement. But they are like a branch 
 severed from its parent stem, for awhile it preserves its 
 leaves and looks lifelike, but one by one they droop and 
 fall away. Calvin^ s own Church lost them all, and be- 
 came Unitarian ; by public act and general consent his 
 followers denied their Redeemer. Many of the Puritans 
 and their descendants in England have done so likewise, 
 many an institution has separated from the Church on 
 
DISHONESTY ASCRIBED TO THE REFORMERS. 411 
 
 Evangelical or Puritan principles^ and in a very few 
 generations has become Unitarian even here. That they 
 have not all done so_, is due not to any inherent life in 
 themselves^ but to their necessarily close connection 
 with a Living Church_, from which_, from time to time^ 
 they borrow their vitality. It is to the existence of the 
 Church among them that the English Dissenters to this 
 day owe whatever they still possess of Christian life and 
 Evangelical principles. 
 
 Controversialists have^ sometimes^ in the heat of con- 
 troversy^ gone the length of ascribing to the earlier Eng- 
 lish Reformers absolute dishonesty^ such as, if proved 
 against them, would invalidate their testimony on any 
 point of doctrine whatever. Ignoring, perhaps ignorant 
 of, the subsequent revisions of the Prayer Book by which 
 the sentiments of the Reformation were sanctioned and 
 sealed by the testimony of succeeding ages, they assert 
 that the divines of Henry the Eighth^s reign reformed 
 the Church, not conscientiously, but, as far as they dared, 
 as far as the temper of the times would permit them to 
 go, leaving many necessary points, both of doctrine and 
 discipline, to the developement of future generations. 
 
 This idea is not new nor original, it being precisely 
 Newman^ s Apology for the modern innovations of Rome 
 upon Apostolic or Primitive doctrine, and discipline, and 
 which he also calls ^'^ Developement.^^ But lest this ar- 
 gument, such as it is, should be used against the English 
 discipline and practice of Confession, I wiU cite, in sup- 
 port of the earlier Reformers, the testimony of eminent 
 Churchmen for the next two hundred years. 
 
 And first we will take Jewel, who was a young man 
 and an University Student when the Fathers of the Re- 
 formation sealed their testimony with their blood. 
 
 I. "The Apology,^^ chap. i. divis. 1. '^'^ Moreover, 
 we say, that Christ hath given to His ministers power 
 to bind, to loose, to open, to shut. The difierence that 
 is between us and our adversaries,'^ (says Bishop Jewel 
 in his Defence of the Apology, in loco,) " in this whole 
 matter, is not very great, saving that it liketh weU Mr. 
 Harding to busy himself with needless quarrels without 
 
 t 2 
 
412 JEWEL. 
 
 cause/^i " Three kinds of Confession are expressed unto 
 US in tlie Scriptures. The first made secretly unto God 
 alone ; the second, openly before the whole congrega- 
 tion ; the third, privately unto our brother. Of the two 
 former kinds there is no question. Touching the third, 
 if it be discreetly used, to the greater comfort and better 
 satisfaction of the penitent, without superstition or 
 other ill, it is not in any wise by us reproved. The 
 abuses and errors set apart, we do no more mislike a 
 ' private confession ' than a ^ private sermon.^ ^^^ 
 
 Again, " As for private Confession, abuses and errors 
 set apart, as it is said before, we condemn it not, but 
 leave it at liberty. And therein we may seem to foUow 
 the advice of Charles the Emperor in his late Interim ; 
 for thus he writeth : Confessio et peccatorum enumeratio, 
 ut non nimis laxanda est, ita vicissim non nimis astringenda,''^ 
 
 The value of JeweFs testimony arises from the fact of 
 his having been in his early days a personal friend and 
 disciple of Peter Martyr, whom Calvin, at the request of 
 Cranmer, had sent to England in the days of Edward 
 VI., in order to consolidate the Reformation. He was 
 also himself one of the fugitives who sought protection 
 among the foreign reformers ; he connects, as it were, the 
 broken threads of the English Reformation, and unites 
 the Elizabethan times, in which he rose to eminence, 
 with those of Cranmer and Ridley. 
 
 Among the numerous controversialists who wrote on 
 the subject of Confession in the latter years of Elizabeth 
 and the reign of James I., we cannot find a more im- 
 partial witness than Hall, or one who was more likely 
 to understand the difference between the Church of 
 England and the Puritans. Hall himself was brought 
 up a Puritan, such as Puritans were in the days when 
 Whitgift was Archbishop : he was tutor and chaplain to 
 Prince Henry, whose Puritan tendencies were so noto- 
 rious, that it was considered a matter of congratulation 
 to the Church that he died before his father. He was 
 selected by James to attend the Synod of Dort, because 
 
 1 Jelf 's Ed. of Jewel's Works, vol. iv. p. 486. 
 
 2 Ch. i. Diy. 1. 3 jeif, iy. 506. 
 
HALL. 413 
 
 from his Puritan views lie was most fitted for it ; and it 
 was principally from what he saw and heard while 
 there, and the cruelties practised upon Barnevelt and 
 Grotius, that he became so firm in his adherence to the 
 Church, that in the next reign Laud selected him as the 
 champion of Episcopacy against the Assembly of the 
 Scottish Kirk. 
 
 Hall notices distinctly the diflPerence which had now 
 become apparent between E-omish and English Con- 
 fession. 
 
 II. Bp. Hall. " That there is a lawful, commendable, 
 beneficial use of Confession, was never denied by us ; but 
 to set men upon the rack, and to strain their souls up 
 to a double pin of absolute necessity (both prsecepti and 
 medii) and of a strict particularity, and that by a screw 
 of Jus Divinunij ^by God^s Law,^ is so mere a Roman 
 novelty, that many ingenious authors of their own have 
 willingly confessed it.^' 
 
 '^ Since our quarrel is not with confession itself, which 
 may be of singular use and behoof, but with some ty- 
 rannous strains in the practice of it, which are the vio- 
 lent forcing and perfect fulness thereof; it shall be 
 sufficient for us herein to stand upon our negative, that 
 there is no Scripture in the whole Book of God wherein 
 either such necessity or such entireness of Confession is 
 commanded ; a truth so clear, that it is generally con- 
 fessed by their own Canonists. 
 
 " Did we question the lawfulness of Confession, we 
 should be justly accountable for our grounds from the 
 Scriptures of God'; now that we cry down only some 
 injurious circumstances therein, well may we require 
 from the fautors thereof their warrants from God, 
 which, if they cannot show, they are sufficiently con- 
 vinced of a presumptuous obtrusion. 
 
 " Indeed our Saviour said to His Apostles and their 
 successors. Whose sins ye remit, they are remitted; and 
 whose sins ye retain, they are retained (S. John xx. 23;) 
 but did He say, ^ No sin shall be remitted, but what ye 
 remit ?' or, ' No sin shall be remitted by you .but what is 
 particularly numbered by you V '^ 
 
414 CHILLJNGWORTH. 
 
 If Hairs testimony is valuable as that of one who 
 had judged and weighed the differences between the 
 Church and the Puritans^ that of his contemporary- 
 Usher is no less so^ as the opinion of one whose vocation 
 had called him to examine the differences between the 
 Churches of England and of Eome. While yet a lay- 
 man_, Usher was especially selected on account of his 
 great theological learning and argumentative skilly to 
 lecture on Sunday mornings at Dublin on the Romanist 
 and Protestant controversy ; and so celebrated was he 
 as a controversialist_, that in after life, when he had 
 become Archbishop of Armagh,, he was challenged by 
 Lord Mordaunt, then a bigoted Papist, to dispute with 
 his chaplain ; and succeeded in three days, not only in 
 utterly discomfiting his opponent, but in making a con- 
 vert of his opponent's patron. So highly was his opi- 
 nion valued by the Puritans, that Cromwell used to 
 consult him on his celebrated plans for what he called 
 the general interests of the Protestants of Europe ; and 
 at length, when he died, which was not till 1657, very 
 shortly before CromwelFs own death, he caused him to 
 be buried at the public expense in Westminster Abbey. 
 
 His testimony, however, will come with more effect if 
 we give it through the medium of Chillingworth, the 
 author of that celebrated Puritan dogma " The Bible, 
 and the Bible only, the Religion of Protestants/' 
 Chillingworth, who was by about twenty years Usher's 
 junior, writes thus : — 
 
 III. Chillingworth. ^^ Having now mentioned 
 Confession, and considering how much the doctrine of 
 our holy mother the Church hath been traduced, not 
 only by the malice and detraction of our professed ene- 
 mies of the Church of Rome, but also by the suspicious 
 ignorance and partiality of her own children ; who out of 
 a liking of the zeal, or rather fury of some former 
 Protestant writers, have laid this for a ground of 
 stating controversies of our religion, — that that is to 
 be acknowledged for the doctrine of these reformed 
 Churches, which is most opposite and contradicting to 
 the Church of Rome : so that, as the case goes now. 
 
USHER. 415 
 
 controversies of religion are turned into private quar- 
 rels : and it is not so much the truth that is sought 
 after_, as the salving and curing the reputation of parti- 
 cular men. Give me leave^ therefore^ I pray you, to 
 give you the state of the question_, and the doctrine of 
 our Church, in the words of one, who both now is, and 
 for ever will worthily be, accounted the glory of this 
 kingdom. 
 
 IV. Usher. '' ^ Be it known,^ saith he/ ^ to our ad- 
 versaries of E,ome,' (I add also to our adversaries even 
 of Great Britain, who set their private fancies for the 
 doctrine of our Church,) ^ that no kind of Confession, 
 either public or private, is disallowed by our Church, 
 that is any way requisite for the due execution of that 
 ancient power of the keys which Christ bestowed upon 
 His Church. The thing which we reject is that new 
 picklock of Sacramental Confession, obtruded upon 
 men^s consciences, as a matter necessary to salvation, by 
 the Canons of the late Conventicle of Trent, in the 
 fourteenth session.^ 
 
 ^' And this truth being so evident in Scripture, and 
 in the writings of the ancient best times of the primi- 
 tive Church, the safest interpreters of Scripture, I make 
 no question but there will not be found one person 
 amongst you, who, when he shall be in a calm, impar- 
 tial disposition, will offer to deny it. For, I beseech 
 you, give yourselves leave impartially to examine your 
 own thoughts : can any man be so unreasona^ble as once 
 to imagine with himself, that when our Saviour, after 
 His Resurrection, having received (as Himself saith) 
 all power in heaven and earth, — having led captivity 
 captive, came then to bestow gifts upon men ; when He, 
 I say, in so solemn a manner, (having first breathed 
 upon His disciples, thereby conveying and insinuating 
 the Holy Ghost into their hearts,) renewed unto them, 
 or rather confirmed and sealed unto them, that glorious 
 commission which before He had given to Peter, sus- 
 taining, as it were, the person of the whole Church, — 
 
 1 Archbishop Ushei''s " Answer to the Jesuit," chapter on Confession, 
 p. 84. 
 
416 USHER. 
 
 whereby He delegated to them an authority of binding 
 and loosing sins npon earth, with a promise that the 
 proceedings in the court of heaven should be directed 
 and regulated by theirs on earth ; can any man, I say, 
 think so unworthily of our Saviour, as to esteem these 
 words of His for no better than compliment? — for 
 nothing but court holy water ? 
 
 ^' Yet so impudent have our adversaries of Eome been 
 in their dealings with us, that they have dared to lay to 
 our charge, as if we had so mean a conceit of our Sa- 
 viour^ s gift of the keys; taking advantage, indeed, 
 from the unwary expressions of some particular divines, 
 who, out of too forward a zeal against the Church of 
 Rome, have bended the stafP too much the contrary 
 way ', and instead of taking away that intolerable bur- 
 den of a Sacramental, necessary, universal Confession, 
 have seemed to void and frustrate all use and exercise 
 of the keys. . . . Therefore, in obedience to His 
 [Christ^s] gracious will, and as I am warranted and 
 even enjoined by my holy mother the Church of Eng- 
 land expressly, in the Book of Common Prayer, in the 
 Rubric for Visiting the Sick, (which doctrine this 
 Church hath likewise embraced so far,) I beseech you 
 that by your practice and use, you will not suffer that 
 commission, which Christ hath given to His Ministers, 
 to be a vain form of words, without any sense under 
 them, — to be an antiquated, expired commission, of no 
 use or validity in these days ; but whensoever you find 
 yourselves charged and oppressed, especially with such 
 crimes as they call peccata vastantia conscientiam, such as 
 do lay waste and depopulate the conscience, that you 
 would have recourse to your spiritual physician, and 
 freely disclose the nature and malignity of your dis- 
 ease, that he may be able, as the cause shall require, to 
 proportion a remedy, either to search it with corrosives, 
 or comfort and temper it with oil. And come not to 
 him only with such a mind, as you would go to a learned 
 man experienced in the Scriptures, — as one that can 
 speak comfortable, quieting words to you, — but as to 
 
SHARP. 417 
 
 one that hath authority delegated to him from God 
 Himself, to absolve and acquit you of your sins.^i 
 
 No one is more fit to carry on the chain of testimony 
 into the times subsequent to the Revolution of 1688 
 than Archbishop Sharp^ who^ bom about fourteen years 
 before the death of Usher^ and taking Orders in the 
 eighth year of Charles 11. ^ was suspended by his suc- 
 cessor James, in the year 1686, and reduced to private 
 life on account of his uncompromising defence of the 
 English Church against the errors of Popery. So 
 highly did William 111. think of him, that he re- 
 peatedly solicited him to accept one of the sees vacated 
 by the nonjuring Bishops, but in vain, until, by the 
 death of Lamplugh, Archbishop of York, a see feU 
 vacant by the course of nature, vrhich he could there- 
 fore conscientiously accept. It was Sharp who took so 
 prominent a part in meeting the endeavours of Frede- 
 rick the Grreat to unite the Lutheran and Calvinist 
 divisions of his subjects, and to reconcile them to the 
 Church by procuring for them an Apostolical Succession 
 from England. He may well be supposed to have under- 
 stood fully the tenets of all the Protestant or Reformed 
 bodies ; and on the subject of Confession his testimony 
 is the more valuable, that is to say, more impartial, 
 more absolutely free from Romish bias, because he 
 supports his arguments on that subject not from the 
 writings of Churchmen either before or after the Refor- 
 mation, but from those of Calvin, whom we have every 
 reason to believe to have been, if not the author, at 
 least the adviser of that very sentence of the Exhorta- 
 tion to Communion which forms the heading to this 
 article.2 
 
 1 CHUmgwortli's Works, Oxford University Press edition, 1838, vol. 
 iii. pp. 185—188. 
 
 * Our present exhortation is but sligMly revised and altered from that 
 of the second Prayer Book of Edward VI., and this was written in 
 1552, after the arrival of Bucer and Peter Martyr, two of Calvin's 
 especial friends and followers, who had been invited to England by 
 Cranmer for the express purpose of assisting him to re-construct or re- 
 model the Liturgy. 
 
 t3 
 
418 SHARP. 
 
 V. Archbishop Sharp, of York_, and Calvin. " So 
 that the Papists do very unjustly traduce and calumniate 
 the Reformation, when they say that the Protestants 
 are against private Confession. There is no such thing. 
 There is no Protestant Church but gives it that due es- 
 teem and regard that it ought to have. All that they 
 have done is to regulate it, to set it upon its true basis 
 and foundation ; which is done, not by requiring private 
 Confession as a thing necessary, but by exhorting men 
 to it, as a thing highly convenient in many cases. In 
 all those instances where it can be useful, or serve any 
 good purpose, it is both commanded and seriously ad- 
 vised ; that is to say, where a sinner either needs direc- 
 tion and assistance for the overcoming some sin that he 
 labours under, or where he is so overwhelmed with the 
 burden of his sins, that he needs the help of some 
 skilful person to explain to him the terms of the Gospel, 
 to convince him from the Holy Scriptures that his re- 
 pentance (as far as a judgment can be made of it) is true 
 and sincere, and will be accepted of God ; and lastly, 
 upon the full examination of his state, and his judgment 
 thereupon, to give him the absolution of the Church. 
 In all these cases no Protestant (that understands his 
 rehgion) is against private Confession. On the con- 
 trary, all the best writers of the Protestants, nay, all 
 the public Confessions of the Protestants (which give 
 an account of their faith) are mightily for it, and do 
 seriously recommend it. Mr, Calvin hath fully ex- 
 pressed their sense as to this point. 
 
 " ^ Let every faithful Christian,^ (says he^) ^remember 
 that when he is burdened and afflicted with the sense of 
 his sins that he cannot ease himself without the help of 
 others, it is then his duty not to neglect that remedy 
 which the Lord hath prescribed to him, viz., that, for 
 the easing of himself, he resort to private Confession 
 with his pastor ; and that for the gaining comfort to 
 himself, he fetch in the assistance of him whose office 
 it, is both privately and publicly, to comfort the people 
 of God by the doctrine of the Gospel. But yet this 
 
 ^ Calvin's Institutes, iii, 4, 12. 
 
SHARP QUOTING CALVIN. 419 
 
 moderation is always to be used, tliat where God hath 
 not laid impositions, we should not lay impositions on 
 our own consciences. Hence it follows, that this pri- 
 vate Confession ought to be free, and should not be 
 required of all, but only recommended to those who find 
 they have need of it/ Thus far Mr. Calvin ; and in the 
 same place where he doth thus recommend private Con- 
 fession, doth he also speak great things of the benefits 
 of private Absolution, in order to the easing and com- 
 forting afflicted consciences. 
 
 " And this sense of his is the general sense of the Pro- 
 testants abroad. If there be any difference among 
 them, it is that the Lutherans are more strict in requir- 
 ing private Confession than either the French or Dutch 
 Protestants are. 
 
 " As for our own Church, she has directly given her 
 judgment in the matter, as we have now represented, 
 viz., in the public exhortation which is to be read when 
 notice is given of a Communion. There it is advised, 
 that if there be any of the congregation ^ that cannot 
 by other means quiet his own conscience, but requireth 
 comfort or counsel, then he should come to some dis- 
 creet and learned Minister of God^s Word and open his 
 grief; that by the Ministry of Gon^s Holy Word he 
 may receive the benefit of Absolution, together with 
 ghostly counsel and advice, to the quieting of his con- 
 science and avoiding all scruple and doubtfulness.^ 
 
 ^' This is the doctrine of the Protestants concerning 
 Confession, and this I think may be justified to all the 
 world.^^ 
 
 This chain of testimony carries us down from the 
 times of the Reformation to the year 1744, (that is to 
 say, till some time after the suppression of Convocation,) 
 by a direct succession of witnesses, who have been se- 
 lected purposely either for their connection with Pu- 
 ritanism at one period or other of their lives, or on 
 account of some celebrated stand which they have made 
 against Popery. It would be easy to find stronger ex- 
 pressions and more decided sentiments, if we were to 
 seek them among the High Church divines, but such 
 
420 IMPARTIAL WITNESSES. 
 
 testimony I have rejected. My object was impartiality; 
 I did not summon my witnesses to prove a preconceived 
 opinion of my own, but to sbow what was the real mind 
 of the Church of England at the different times in which 
 my witnesses wrote. I did not therefore select, among, 
 I might almost say, the hundreds I had to choose from, 
 the most positive and decided partisans, but the most 
 impartial writers I could find ; and, together with the 
 quotations from their writings, I have given a short 
 biography of each of them, in order to show why I do 
 consider them impartial. 
 
 I might easily have brought down my catena beyond 
 the times of George II., for even in the darkest days of 
 Erastian sloth, God never left Himself without a wit- 
 ness; at no time of its existence has the Church of 
 England been without faithful Churchmen ; but it was 
 unnecessary to do so. Two centuries of consecutive 
 testimony is quite sufficient to prove that confession, 
 such as it is now maintained by the English Church, is 
 not only the doctrine of all Catholic antiquity, but pre- 
 eminently the doctrine of the Heformation, both Eng- 
 lish and foreign. 
 
 The real value of tradition is testimony, not opinion. 
 If a doctrine be not found in Scripture, it would be use- 
 less to go to any authority of the Fathers for it. The 
 united authority of any number of Fathers, or of all 
 the Fathers put together, could never make it an article 
 of faith ; nevertheless, when a doctrine has been already 
 found in Scripture, and may be proved thereby, the au- 
 thority of any one Father is valuable as proving the in- 
 terpretation that was put upon it in his day ; and the 
 consent of a succession of Fathers, that is to say, the 
 consent of a succession of ages and a variety of places, 
 is a strong proof — a proof against which it would be 
 dangerous to venture our own private judgment — that 
 such was the original meaning of the passage, or, in 
 other words, that such was the mind of Christ. 
 
 And as with doctrine in the Church Catliolic, so with 
 discipline, — that is to say, with administration of doc- 
 trine — in any branch of it. The rule itself lies in the 
 
THE USE OF TRADITION. 431 
 
 authorised documents of the particular Church, and 
 nowhere else. Had there been nothing about confes- 
 sion in the Prayer Book of our Church, it would be 
 useless to apply to Cranmer, or Ridley, or Jewel, or 
 Hall, or Usher, or Sharp, for authority. This would 
 give us merely the private opinion of so many indi- 
 viduals. But when we do possess the authorised rule, 
 passed by the Clergy in Convocation, accepted by the 
 laity in Parliament, confirmed by the Sovereign, revised 
 and re-accepted in the two succeeding centuries by the 
 Hampton Court and Savoy Conferences, then we may 
 well go to the compilers and revisers of the Prayer 
 Book to ascertain the meaning which they considered 
 its services to bear, and to the framers of the rules to 
 know the sense in which they framed them. 
 
 It is not very extraordinary that a confusion should 
 have been made at first between the Koman and English 
 idea of confession, because, as Jewel most truly remarks, 
 in theory there is very little difference between confes- 
 sion as held by the Romish, and confession as held by 
 the English Church, and probably in argument and on 
 paper the Romish controversialist would show that there 
 is no difference at all. In theory there may be little 
 difference, but in practice that one word ^' compulsory,^^ 
 makes the difference very wide and very essential. The 
 Romanist is instructed periodically, as a matter affecting 
 his salvation, and as a necessary preparation to the Com- 
 munion, to make a full confession of all his remembered 
 sins, and to receive a special absolution for them, a cer- 
 tain penance being then and there aJBfixed as a proof or 
 sign of repentance, which does in fact and in practice 
 amount to a condition of being received again into the 
 full privileges of a faithful Christian. 
 
 The Anglican is instructed to make periodically a full 
 confession of all his remembered sins to God ; but, in 
 case he of his own judgment considers that he "requireth 
 further help or counsel,^^ then he is earnestly invited to 
 ''open his grief" to God's Minister, who in all cases is 
 bound to receive it, and in some special cases is bound 
 also to urge it. But even in this case the confession is 
 
422 THE POINTS OF DIFFERENCE. 
 
 not necessarily a confession of all remembered sins^ but 
 of those sins, and those only, upon which the penitent 
 cannot " quiet his own conscience/^ 
 
 In the case of the English as of the Eomish Church, 
 the Priest has power to convey special absolution, if he 
 thinks it expedient so to do ; but if he does not think it 
 expedient, he is authorised in referring the penitent to 
 the general forms of absolution prescribed by the Church, 
 and instructing him to apply them to his own case ; 
 while, as a necessary consequence of this, private pe- 
 nance, though recognised in the Homilies as a salutary 
 discipline, becomes absolutely voluntary, the whole pro- 
 cess of confession full or partial, — of absolution special or 
 general, — and of penance, depending on the discretion 
 and will of the penitent himself. 
 
 If men will give themselves the trouble to examine 
 for themselves, without suffering their opinions to be 
 biassed by popular clamour, they cannot fail to see that 
 this voluntary element makes the whole difference be- 
 tween a very objectionable practice and a very salutary, 
 not to say necessary, discipline. 
 
 It is very possible to conceive cases in which auricular 
 confession would be injurious to a given individual, but 
 then the chances are that that individuaFs own feelings 
 would prevent him from seeking it, — or, if not his own 
 feelings, the influence of his friends, — or, lastly, the 
 discretion of the minister himself. It is perfectly true 
 that, notwithstanding all these checks, indiscreet, and 
 objectionable, and injurious confessions will be made 
 from time to time; but in the English Church these 
 must always be the exceptional cases, and it is not right, 
 either logically or morally, on account of exceptional 
 cases, to condemn the discipline itself. The voluntary 
 principle contained in it will and must correct all abuses ; 
 no man will continue doing that which, though it may 
 be salutary to others, he finds to be injurious to himself. 
 
 And it will be an equally sure corrective to any im- 
 propriety or indiscretion on the part of the priest. Not 
 only is Confession itself voluntary, but the choice of a 
 confessor is voluntary also ; and it is evident that those 
 
CONFESSION IN THE ENGLISH CHURCH VOLUNTARY. 423 
 
 penitents who conceive tliat Confession is a discipline 
 salutary for their souls, but who are distrustful of their 
 own parish Priest_, will seek out ^' some other learned 
 and discreet minister of God^s Wordj" to whom they 
 may safely '' open their grief/^ 
 
 It is very remarkable that the practice of Confession, 
 which for the first two centuries after the Reformation 
 prevailed throughout the whole Scandinavian Church, 
 has been greatly brought into disuse by an injudicious 
 interference in this particular with the Christian liberty 
 of the penitent. From the time when it was made 
 compulsory that confession should be received by the 
 parish priest and by none other, from that time the 
 whole discipline of Confession fell into disuse. 
 
 The principle of Confession, then, in the English 
 Church is absolute freedom. A man is told that there 
 are cases in which Confession to man is salutary, and 
 then it is left entirely to his own discretion whether he 
 considers his own to be such a case or not. He may 
 choose whether he will confess, what he will confess, 
 when he will confess, how much and how little he will 
 confess, and to whom he will confess. He is simply 
 shown that the Church has such and such remedies, 
 and then he is left the judge of his own needs, and the 
 choice of his remedies is left in his own hands. 
 
 A similar discretion is lodged with the Parson, except 
 so far as he is bound to receive the confession of a man 
 desirous of making it. He is left just as much at liberty 
 by the laws of his Church to advise his parish, generally 
 from his pulpit, or specially and individually by his 
 private exhortations, to confess their sins, as they are 
 left at liberty to follow his advice or reject it. 
 
 Such things as these must necessarily be committed 
 to the discretion of the Parson, because in all such cases 
 no general rule can be drawn ; that which would suit 
 one disposition may not suit another, and therefore no 
 Bishop, whatever might be his private opinion, could 
 prohibit his priests from urging to confession while there 
 is no law of the Church to back him, and while the text 
 " confess your faults one to another" is found in his Bible. 
 
424 
 
 But, on tlie other hand the Parson should remember 
 that discretion involves responsibility; that is to say, 
 that he is responsible to God for the exercise of that 
 discretion committed to him; that it has been com- 
 mitted to him by the English Church, and that there- 
 fore, he, as a priest of that Church, is bound to ascer- 
 tain what the mind of the English Church is, and to act 
 up to it ; and that though, in the exercise of his dis- 
 cretion, he is permitted to depart from it in special in- 
 stances, as he must be from the nature of the case, yet 
 that his general teaching must be, not what is not ab- 
 solutely forbidden by the strict law of the Church, but 
 what is the general scope and aim of that Church's 
 teaching. The more free he is to depart from it in par- 
 ticular instances, the more bound should he consider 
 himself to carry it out as a whole. 
 
 It is perfectly evident, from the tenour of the exhor- 
 tation to Communion, as well as from the rubrics of 
 the Visitation of the Sick, that the Church of England 
 intends confession to God to be the general rule among 
 her penitents; but that she permits and encourages 
 confession to man in all cases of doubt and hesitation. 
 
 We gather therefore that habitual and periodical con- 
 fession to man, though it may be salutary in certain 
 cases, is not the rule of the English Church. A Cler- 
 gyman therefore might be justified, according to his 
 discretion, in advising any particular individual to make 
 his confession habitual and periodical, because he is no- 
 where forbidden so to do ; but if he were to teach the 
 same generally and to all from his pulpit, he would not 
 be authorised in so doing, because the general teaching 
 of his Church would not bear him out. In this case he 
 would not be making use of his discretion, but setting 
 up his private judgment in opposition to his Church. It 
 would be no justification to him that he could find any 
 amount of precedent in the teaching of the Catholic 
 Church in other parts and in other times ; each Church 
 is permitted to arrange its own discipline, provided that 
 arrangement be not contrary to God's Word, and each 
 Church does arrange its own discipline in accordance 
 
CASES FOR PERIODICAL CONFESSION. 425 
 
 with the character of its own people. It is very pos- 
 sible that habitual and periodical confession may be be- 
 neficial to an Italian, and if so, it would very probably 
 be encouraged in an Italian Churchy even in primitive 
 times ; because the Bible, approving the general prin- 
 ciple of confession to man, does not forbid that this 
 confession be periodically made. It certainly would be 
 beneficial to an East Indian convert, because docility 
 and following the guidance of others is the characteristic 
 of that people : an Indian Bishop, therefore, would do 
 well to make a diocesan rule to that effect, and he would 
 be perfectly justified in so doing so long as he attempted 
 no compulsion. But the very same discipline would be 
 diametrically opposed to the manly, energetic, self-re- 
 liant, and self-responsible character of the Anglo-Saxon 
 race; and therefore the Church of this country does 
 well to discourage it. An Englishman is open to spi- 
 ritual advice, and he is invited to it; he may be in 
 spiritual doubts and difficulties touching some part of 
 his conduct during some part of his life, and he is then 
 recommended to open his grief; he may need even 
 special absolution : if he is penitent and humbly desire 
 it, it is not refused him. All this his Church considers 
 necessary, or at least salutary for him ; and all this she 
 provides for him. Neither Priest nor Bishop may refuse 
 it him ; nothing can refuse it him short of an Act of Con- 
 vocation backed by an Act of Parliament ; that is to say, 
 the united consent of the clergy and laity of his Church, 
 signified by their lawful representatives in their lawful 
 assemblies. Nay, more : so long as the Church of Eng- 
 land holds forth this comfort to the penitent, her minis- 
 ters are faithless to their trust if they do not publicly 
 and continually announce that fact to their respective 
 congregations, be their own private opinions on the sub- 
 ject what they may. 
 
 But this is all : beyond this her ministers have no 
 right to go, because the Church, whose ministers they 
 are, goes herself no farther. She has mapped out for 
 her children their Christian course ; she has taught, ad- 
 vised, warned ; she has endued them with the spiritual 
 
426 ,- DUTY OF A "minister/^ 
 
 strengtli entrusted to lier keeping ; she supplies day by 
 day the spiritual nourishment both of prayer and of 
 communion^ which she knows are necessary to enable 
 them to work out their own salvation ; and with all that, 
 " stands by, ever watchful, ever anxious, ever ready and 
 willing to direct ; but she does not obtrude her direction 
 on those who, by God^s grace and their own earnest 
 will and honest sense of duty are able to do without it. 
 
 As with the Church, so with her minister — he is bound 
 to offer the consolation of Confession to all ; he is justi- 
 fied in offering the guidance of habitual and periodical 
 confession in special instances ; but beyond that he is 
 neither bound nor justified. And this is eminently and 
 distinctively the doctrine of the Reformation, both 
 English and foreign. 
 
 I should not have given so much space and time to 
 showing the sentiments of the Church of England on 
 this subject of Confession, in a book the design of which 
 is practical rather than theoretical, had not the revival of 
 this discipline which has begun to take place in our times 
 been received yn\h so much suspicion and hostility. 
 
 That it should have been so received, arises evidently 
 from the fact, that English churchmen have confused 
 the Confession of their own Church with the compul- 
 sory and Sacramental Confession of the Church of 
 Rome.' Having once done this, as they could hardly 
 fail to see the objections to which the latter is ob- 
 noxious, it is no wonder that they reject not only it, 
 but with it that ancient and Apostolic doctrine which 
 they have confounded with it. 
 
 But that such ignorance should exist in our Church at 
 all, that its children should ever have been suffered to 
 confound things so essentially different, and thus to 
 defraud themselves of their own privileges and means of 
 grace, is in itself a most conclusive testimony agaiust us, 
 the Ministers of the English Church. It is evident, 
 that had it not been for our own neglect of the ordi- 
 nance, no such ignorance, and consequently no such 
 prejudice, could ever have existed. 
 
 It is evident also, now that public attention and our 
 
DUTY OF A '^MINISTER." 427 
 
 own attention has been called to the subject,, if we per- 
 mit our flock still to remain in ignorance of this their 
 privilege, from any private opinion or prejudice that we 
 ourselves may have on the matter, it is no longer negli- 
 gence — it is something worse — it is unfaithfulness. Our 
 duty as Ministers is not to pass judgment on the ordi- 
 nances of the Church, but to administer them as we 
 find them. 
 
 In all these subjects, and there are many of like cha- 
 racter, the English Clergyman would do well to bear in 
 mind the full meaning of the term " Minister," and by 
 so doing he would cut off at once the most fruitful 
 source of dissension that exists. Ministers are the ser- 
 vants of the Church. 
 
 It is perfectly true, that a certain latitude of senti- 
 ment on points of doctrine is granted by the Church to 
 its members. Heresy cuts a man off from the Commu- 
 nion of the Faithful, but every error in doctrine is not 
 a heresy, nor does a man cease to be a churchman by 
 holding it. 
 
 But it is evident that this liberty of conscience, what- 
 ever it be, cannot be conceded to the Clergy. The Church 
 has a doctrine to teach, and she engages servants to 
 teach that doctrine. No one is forced to engage in this 
 service. A man enters it, because, having previously 
 examined what he will be required to teach, he " gives his 
 unfeigned assent and consent to it ;" but here his liberty 
 of conscience ends, he has voluntarily surrendered it when 
 he consented to be the servant of the Church ; hence- 
 forward he has bound himself to teach what the Church 
 teaches, all that the Church teaches, and nothing but 
 what the Church teaches. He must now distinguish 
 between "discretion" and " private judgment." The 
 one he retains — much is committed to his discretion — 
 but the other he has surrendered, like any other ser- 
 vant, by the act of taking service. His discretion he 
 uses as to the means by which he may best carry out 
 the intentions of the Church, whatever those intentions 
 are, and as he is but fallible he may no doubt be indis- 
 creet or mistaken in this or that particular. 
 
428 HYMN TO THE HOLY TRINITY. 
 
 But if he, the sworn servant of the Church, delibe- 
 rately exercise his '^ private judgment/^ and go beyond 
 those intentions, because he judges, when he has no 
 right to judge at all, that something else may be more 
 beneficial ; or if he fall short of those intentions, be- 
 cause he thinks, when he has no right to think at all, 
 that these intentions may be injurious ; if he con- 
 sciously, and wilfully, and after warning given, add to 
 or take away from that Prayer Book, be it only one 
 phrase or one word, to which, by the very act of taking 
 service, he has given his " unfeigned assent and con- 
 sent '/' then, he is no longer a ^^ Minister," he has fal- 
 sified his word, he has stained his honour, he is an un- 
 faithful servant, and a dishonest man. 
 
 TEINITT SUNDAY. 
 
 THE WOEE FIinSHED. 
 
 Getjntdyig's Hymn of Peaise to the Teinity. 
 
 O MIGHTY GrOD ! WO Thee adore, 
 Prom our heart's depths for evermore ; 
 None is in glory like to Thee, 
 Through time and through eternity. 
 Thy Name is blessed by cherubim. 
 Thy Name is blessed by seraphim ; 
 And songs of praise from earth ascend, 
 With Thine angelic choirs to blend : 
 
 Holy art Thou, our Gron ! 
 
 Holy art Thou, our God ! 
 
 Holy art Thou, our God ! 
 
 LoED of Sabaoth. 
 
 god the fathee. 
 
 Thou didst create the ethereal span, 
 And in Thine Image madest man. 
 The Prophets prophesied of Thee, 
 The old Apostles preached of Thee, 
 
HYMN TO THE HOLY TRINITY. 429 
 
 The Martyr bands they lauded Thee 
 In their death-hour exultingly ; 
 And Christendom shall never cease 
 To bless Thee for both life and peace. 
 Yes, Fathee, praise from all bursts forth, 
 Because Thy Son brought peace to earth, 
 Because Thy Holt Ghost doth give 
 The Word which makes Thy Church to live. 
 
 GOD THE SON. 
 
 Thou King of G-lory, Satioite dear, 
 Blessed and welcome be Thou here ; 
 Thou laid'st Thy great dominion by, 
 On a poor Virgin's breast to lie, 
 Thou didst to glory consecrate 
 And heavenly joy our poor estate : 
 Our yoke, our sins, on Thee didst lay, 
 Our penance on the Cross didst pay ; 
 Didst rise triumphant from beneath. 
 And overcamest the power of death. 
 To heaven which opened didst arise, 
 Beceived with Angel-symphonies, 
 On God's right hand is now Thy place. 
 But on Thy Church abides Thy grace. 
 
 GOD THE HOLT GHOST. 
 
 O Holt Ghost, to us so dear. 
 Blessed and welcome be Thou here ; 
 Truth, goodness, joy Thou dost impart, 
 With life unto the Christian's heart. 
 As Thine Thou dost the nations claim. 
 And givest peace in Jesus' ]N"ame. 
 By Thee doth God a pledge accord, 
 That all is true in Mercy's Word ; 
 Thou art that Power Divine, Whose might 
 Doth give eternal life and light. 
 
 Hallelujah ! grief is o'er, 
 
 Paradise unsealed once more ; 
 
 Hallelujah, joy is sure, 
 
 God's Spieit dwelleth with the poor ; 
 
 Hallelujah! evermore 
 
 God hath bliss for us in store. 
 
430 HYMN TO THE HOLY TRINITY. 
 
 THE TRINITY. 
 
 O Mighty God, we Thee adore 
 From otir heart's depths for evermore ; 
 Eor Adam's race may join the hymn 
 Of seraphim and cherubim, 
 God's children now. Thy Church may raise 
 Her ceaseless song of living praise, 
 To God the Fathee, God the Son, 
 And God the Spieit, Three in One. 
 Hallelujah. Amen. 
 
 JOSEPH MASTEES AKD CO., PRINTERS, ALDEBSGATE STEEET. 
 
©afctl^efkal vcnh ^trutatbital W0rhs 
 
 PtTBLISHED Br 
 
 J. MASTEES, 33, ALDEESGATE STEEET, 
 
 AND 78, ]S^EW BOND STEEET. 
 
 ARDEN. — Manual of Catechetical Instruction, for 
 Public or Private Use. Compiled and arranged by the 
 Rev. G. Arden, M.A., Rector of Winterbourne Cam, 
 Chaplain to the Earl of Devon. 2s. 
 
 Intended for the hands of the catechist or teacher, and contains such sug- 
 gestions, explanations, and references to Holy Scripttire, as may, it is hoped, 
 greatly assist him in the work of instruction. 
 
 BEZANT.— Geographical Questions, classed under heads 
 and interspersed with Bistorical and General Information. 
 By J. Bezant. A new edition carefully revised and cor- 
 rected to the present time, by W. Cooke Stafford, one of 
 the authors of " The "World as it is." Is. 
 KEY to ditto, 2s. 
 
 In many places entirely re-written to adapt it to the present state of the 
 various countries as to Government and territory and other discoveries and 
 improvements in Geographical Science. This book contains upwards of 1800 
 Questions. 
 
 BOOK OF CHURCH HISTORY; arranged as a useful 
 Manual for Schools and Families. It is chiefly compiled 
 from the Rev. W. Palmer's Ecclesiastical History, from the 
 earliest time to 1839. Fourth edition. Is. 
 
 Its object has been to furnish a useful manual for schools and families in as 
 small a compass as the subject would permit, and at a price that renders it 
 generally accessible. 
 
 BRECHIN. — Catechism to be learnt before the Church 
 Catechism. By the Right Rev. the. Bishop of Brechin. 
 5s per hundred. 
 
 CATECHISM ON THE INCARNATION. Founded on 
 Bishop Bull's " State of Man Before the Fall," and Arch- 
 deacon Wilberforce on the " Doctrine of the Incarnation." 
 Is. 6d. 
 
 "A very careful * Catechism on the Incarnation;' brings together, in away 
 likely to be very useful, many of the more proininent points connected with, 
 or arising oiit of this doctrine. — Guardian. 
 
 "The idea is excellent, and the author could not have gone to better 
 sources . ' ' — Ecclesiastic. 
 
 PABT VI. B 1 
 
Catechetical and Educational Works. 
 
 CHAMBERLAIN. — English Grammar, and how to Teach 
 IT : together with a Lesson in Reading and Spelling. By 
 the Rev. T. Chamberlain, M.A. Third edition. 3d. 
 
 CHANTER.— Help to an Exposition of the Catechism 
 OF the English Church. By the Rev. John Mill 
 Chanter, M.A., Vicar of Ilfracombe, Devon. 6d. 
 
 CHILD'S NEW LESSON BOOK, or Stories for Little 
 Readers. Is. ; Is. 6d. cloth ; coloured, 2s. 6d. 
 
 " Done by one who clearly understands the nature, capacities, and tastes of 
 children : we strongly recommend it." — Ecclesiastic. 
 
 CHRISTIAN CHILDREN, (Scenes in the Lives of): with 
 Questions on separate Cards. The fifty-one cards enclosed 
 in a case. 2s. 
 
 To supply occupation of an amusing as well as instructive kind, in which 
 the chUdren personally take a part. The subjects are drawn from real life. 
 
 CHRISTIAN SERVANT (The) TAUGHT FROM THE 
 CATECHISM HER FAITH AND PRACTICE. Part I. 
 Baptismal Blessings and Vows. Is. 6d. Part II. The 
 Apostles' Creed. Is. 6d. Part III. The Ten Command- 
 ments. 2s. Part IV. The Lord's Prayer. 2s. By the 
 author of the " Servant's Hall." Edited by the Rev. Sir 
 W. H. Cope, Bart. 
 
 " The explanations here given are clear, and ample : the author has suc- 
 ceeded in placing before the reader an mteUigible interpretation weU cjilcu- 
 lated to answer the end for which it is published." — Morning Post. 
 
 "The way in which the Commandments are brought to bear upon the 
 temptations to which these persons are exposed in their peculiar walk of life 
 is beyond aU praise."— 0*/ord Herald. 
 
 CHURCH CATECHISM. Beautifully printed on tinted paper, 
 with seventeen engravings drawn by John Gilbert. Is. 
 gilt edged. A cheap edition, 6d. 
 
 THE CHURCHMAN'S LIBRARY. 
 
 The object of this series is to present within as small a compass as possible 
 a body of exact Divinity on all the chief points of Christian Doctrine and 
 Practice ; and as Catechizing has been pronounced to be more difllcult than 
 writing Sermons, so may it be said to be more difilciilt, on some accounts, to 
 write a small book than a large one. 
 
 Much of the language of our old Divines is now become unintelligible. 
 Recent controversies have also had the effect of placing both Theology and 
 History in some respects in a different Ught. On these grounds, as well as by 
 reason of the advance made in education, it seemed desirable to attempt the 
 preparation of a series which shaU be complete in itself, and shall be adapted 
 to the requirements of the present day. ^ 
 
 The wish of the Editor is to be dogmatic, but not controversiar; boldly to 
 state the Church's view, but not to concern himself with those that are with- 
 out. 
 2 
 
J. Masters, London. 
 
 The Series will be written as plainly as the subject will allow j but every- 
 thing like condescension of style or familiarity of illustration will be avoided. 
 
 The Library is confidently recommended to the Clergy. 
 
 It is believed that the reason why preaching has produced so little efifect 
 among us is because it has stood alone. In former times the foundation was 
 laid in systematic courses of catechizing. Now it would seem that what we 
 must trust to is the circulation of short elementary statements of what a 
 Christian is required to beheve and do. And such statements it will be the 
 object of the Churchman's Library to supply. 
 
 The " Churchman's Library " consists of Tracts and Manuals ; of the former 
 there are ten published, which may be had in a packet, price 2s. viz. 
 
 1. Sunday : and how to Spend it. 2d. New edition. 
 
 In this Tract it is attempted to put the observance of the Loan's Day on its 
 right footing — as distinct from puritan moroseness and infidel laxity. 
 
 2. Catholic and Protestant. 3d. 
 
 The origin and meaning of these two terms are here explained ; and the im- 
 portance of using them rightly is shown. 
 
 3. Geace: and how to gain it. 2d. 
 
 The necessity of Divine influence being exerted on the soul, is here siarongly 
 enforced ; and the method iirovided imder the Gk)spel for its communication 
 is carefciUy illustrated. 
 
 4. Church Worship. 4d. 
 
 The abuses which prevail in our Churches and Church Worship are pointed 
 out, and an appeal is made for a more intelligent and devout method. 
 
 5. The Prayer Book : and how to use it. 2d. 
 
 The Book of Common Prayer is here itself made to bear witness to its own 
 proper intent ; and the theory and right method of using each separate Ser- 
 vice is briefly set forth. 
 
 6. The Heavenly Lives of the Primitive Christians. 
 Price 3d. 
 
 This is a reprint of a well known and very eloquent picture of early Chris- 
 tianity in its moral aspects. The author, Dr. Anthony Homeck, was a very 
 learned and pious Divine of the seventeenth century. 
 
 7. Holy Scripture : and how to use it. 2d. 
 
 Prevailing misconceptions as to the intention of God in giving us the Bible 
 are here removed, and the right method of using it pointed out. 
 
 8. All Christians, Priests. 2d. 
 
 This Tract contains the Catholic view of the Priesthood of the Laity. 
 
 9. The Threefold Work of Christ. 2d. 
 
 As Prophet, Priest and King. 
 
 10. The Doctrine of Justification. 2d. 
 
Catechetical and Educational Works. 
 
 Churchman's Library (continued). 
 
 The Manuals published are : 
 
 1. Questions and Answers Illustrative of the Church 
 Catechism. 6d. ; cloth, 8d. New edition. 
 
 " It has become in fact a complete comment on the Catechism, in no re- 
 spect going' beyond the teaching of the English Church, but at the same time 
 fully developing aU that she holds. It is the first manual of which this could 
 be said ; and further we do not hesitate to say, that there was needed the 
 sifting of the last quarter of a century before such a book could have been 
 compiled. We could wish to see it in every school and fanuly." — Ecclesiastic. 
 
 2. Bishop Andrewes's Devotions. 6d. ; cloth, 9d. ; 
 calf, 2s. ; morocco, 2s. 6d. 
 
 Bishop Andrewes' Devotions, it is generally allowed, is the best devotional 
 manual in our language. Here, for the first time, they are brought within the 
 reach of aU classes. The Book includes Prayers for every day in the week ; 
 Devotions for the Holy Sacrament ; and Prayers to be used in sickness. 
 
 3. The Laying on of Hands : a Manual for Confirmation. 
 4d. ; cloth, 6d. 
 
 This is the fullest exposition of the Doctrine of Confirmation that exists in 
 - our language. Each step in the argument is most carefuUy authenticated from 
 Holy Scripture. 
 
 4. Guide to the Eucharist. Containing Instructions and 
 Directions with Forms of Preparation and Self-Examina- 
 tion. 4d. 
 
 5. The Manual; a Book of Devotion, chiefly intended for 
 the Poor. Second edition. Limp cloth, Is. ; cloth boards, 
 red edges. Is. 3d. ; leather, Is. 4d. With a considerable 
 reduction on quantities being taken. 
 
 This httle book gives full instruction on aU essential points of practice to 
 the devout Churchman. It is specially suited to the poor. 
 
 COMPANION TO THE SUNDAY SERVICES OF THE 
 CHURCH OF ENGLAND. 3s. 
 
 In as easy and plain language as possible this little work suppUes a simple 
 commentary on the Lessons, Collects, Epistles, and Gospels for every Sunday 
 throughout the year. 
 
 CONFIRMATION. 
 
 Instructions on Confirmation. 2d., or I4s. per 100. 
 Address to Candidates for Confirmation. Id., or 7s. per 100. 
 Confirmation Catechetically Explained. By the Rev. W. Blunt, 
 
 M.A. 3d., or 21s. per 100. 
 The Seal of the Lobd. A Catechism on Confirmation. By the 
 
 Bishop of Brechin, l^d., or 10s. 6d. per 100. 
 Questions and Answers on Confirmation. 6s. per 100. 
 Instructions about Confirmation. Id., or 7s. per 100. 
 The Use of Confirmation. By the Rev. W. Gresley. 2d. 
 Meditations on Confirmation. By the Rev, R. Milman, Vicar 
 
 of Lambome. Second edition, 3d. 
 4 
 
J. Masters, London. 
 
 A Plain Tract on Confirmation, with Prayers. 2d., or 14s. per 100. 
 Questions Proposed to Candidates for Confirmation. 2d. 
 A Manual for Christians Unconfirmed. 2d., or 14s. per 100, 
 A Manual for Unbaptized Children. 2d., or 14s. per 100. 
 A Manual for Unbaptized Adults. 2d., or 14s. per 100. 
 Plain Remarks upon Baptism and Spiritual Regeneration. 2d. 
 The Christian Knight. An Address on Confirmation. By the Rev. 
 
 J. E. Millard. Id. 
 Catechetical Exercise on the Confirmation Service. By the Rev. 
 
 G. J. Davies. 6d. 
 Plain Instructions on Confirmation. Id., or 7s. per 100. 
 
 The following have been printed separately for distribution to Cate- 
 chumens : — from the Rev. H. Newland's Lectures on Confirmation 
 and First Communion : 
 
 Special Lectures on matters of Conscience, addressed to the Cate- 
 chumens and their Sponsors in the School-room or in the Church 
 on Week-day Evenings ; with Questions for Self- Examination 
 on the Commandments, 48 pages, 6d. 
 
 The Questions may be had separately. 
 
 Conversations. 1. The Meaning of Confirmation. 2. The Use of 
 Confirmation. 3. Dangers of Habitual Confession. 4. Lead 
 us not into Temptation. 5. The Lord's Supper. 6. Sacra- 
 mental Grace. 24 pages, 3d. 
 
 Heads of Catechetical Instruction. Id. 
 
 Hymns for Confirmation. Id. 
 
 Letter on Infant Baptism. Id. 
 
 Certificates of Baptism, &c. For pasting into Prayer Books, &c. 
 2s. 6d. per 100. 
 
 Lecture on the Communion Service, delivered in the week preceding 
 the Celebration. Sermon at the Celebration of the Holy Com- 
 munion. The Church, a Sermon addressed to those who were 
 lately Catechumens, but who, having been Confirmed, have just 
 been admitted to their First Communion. 24 pages, 3d. 
 
 Examination Papers. 9 for Is. 
 
 CONVERSATIONS ON THE CHURCH SERVICE. By 
 the author of " Easy Lessons for Sunday Schools." Se- 
 cond edition. Is. 3d. 
 
 COUPER.— A Few Hints to Mothers on the Manage- 
 ment OF Children, &c. By Georgina Couper. Dedi- 
 cated to the Very Rev. and Hon. the Dean of Windsor. 
 Demy 18mo., 3d. 
 
 EASY CATECHISM ON THE OLD TESTAMENT HIS- 
 TORY, with the dates of the principal events. Demy 
 18mo. Second edition. 3d. 
 
 b2 5 
 
Catechetical and Educational Works. 
 
 EASY LESSONS FOR THE YOUNGER CHILDREN IN 
 SUNDAY SCHOOLS, adapted to the Church Services 
 for every Sunday in the Year. By the author of " Con- 
 versations vrith Cousin Rachel." 4d. Questions for the 
 use of the Teacher, 9d., or 8s. per doz. 
 
 Intended for Siuxday or other Schools in which are many children too yotm^ 
 or too ignorant to receive fall instruction on the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel 
 for the day. 
 
 ELLIS.— From the Font to the Altah : a Manual of 
 
 Christian Doctrine for the Young, especially those who are 
 preparing for Confirmation. By the Rev. Conyngham 
 Ellis, Incumbent of Cranborne, Berks. Second edition. 
 Is. 4d., cloth ; Is., sewed, with a reduction on quantities. 
 
 EXPLANATION OF SOME SCRIPTURAL AND ECCLE- 
 SIASTICAL TERMS. By a Clergyman. 3rd edit., 3d. 
 
 FASTS AKD FESTIVALS OF THE CHURCH, in a Con- 
 versational Form. Is. 8d. 
 
 This work supplies the substance, &c., of Nelson and other works in plain 
 and easy dialogue. 
 
 FEW WORDS TO LITTLE CHILDREN ABOUT THE 
 SEASONS OF THE CHRISTIAN YEAR. By C. E. F. 
 Price 4d. 
 
 FINCHLEY MANUALS OF INDUSTRY. 
 
 1. Cooking ; or, Practical and Economical Training for those 
 who are to be Servants, Wives, or Mothers. Management 
 of the Kitchen, Plain Cooking, Breadmaking, Baking, 
 Brewing, Pickling, &c. Prepared for the use of the Na- 
 tional and Industrial Schools of the Holy Trinity, at Finch- 
 ley. lOd., with an allowance to Schools. For Prizes, &c., 
 an edition is prepared on finer and larger paper, neatly 
 bound. Is. 6d. 
 
 " In its way we have seldom, perhaps never, met with a book that so well 
 effects as this does the pinrpose for which it was written. As a Young Cook- 
 maid's Catechism this little work is beyond praise, so soundly is it written ; 
 we may add, that old cooks may look into it too with a vast amount of profit." 
 — Church and State Gazette. 
 
 " This is a happy thought— they are in the form of dialogue, and in the most 
 simple, intelligible, and colloquial mamier. It wdl be found extremely useful 
 in many households for which it was not written."— C?v^jc. 
 
 2. Gardening ; or, Practical and Economical Training, for 
 the Management of a School or Cottage Garden: em- 
 bracing a Knowledge of Soils and their Manures— the Art 
 of Draining — Spade Husbandry — The Cultivation of Es- 
 culent Plants — The Treatment of the Grape-vine, Straw- 
 berry, Gooseberry and Currant Bushes, and Raspberry 
 Canes — The Cottager's Flower Garden, &c. lOd. 
 
 6 
 
3. Household Work ; or, the Duties of Female Servants, 
 in Tradesmen's and other Respectable Middle Class Fa- 
 milies, Practically and Economically Illustrated, through 
 the respective grades of Maid of All work — House and 
 Parlour Maid — and Laundry Maid : embracing not only 
 General Domestic Occupation, but the Management of the 
 Laundry, in Washing, Ironing, &c. With many valuable 
 Recipes for facilitating labour in every department. lOd. 
 
 " We recommend the careful study of this admirable work. It teaches in the 
 most simple yet pleasant way imaginable the whole daily routine of house- 
 work — from lighting the fire in the morning, to the preparation of the last 
 evening meal." — Chambers^ JournaL 
 
 4. Plain Needlework, in all its Branches ; with Full 
 Directions for Shirt, Shift, Frock, and Boys' Dress-Making ; 
 Cutting-out and Repairing ; Marking, Knitting, and Fine- 
 drawing ; Netting, and various other sorts of Fancy work, in 
 thread, worsted, &c. : the whole illustrated by Tables and 
 Diagrams. 8d. 
 
 "Win be highly useful in schools, both for teachers and pupils."— iVor^A 
 Wales Journal. 
 
 5. On the Management of Poultry and Domestic 
 Animals. lOd. 
 
 " Ably carried out — every information relating to their history, and the ne- 
 cessary instructions for their management, are clearly laid down in a maimer 
 more especially calculated to make an impression on the juvenile mind." — 
 Suffolk Chronicle. 
 
 Nos. 1 to 5 in one volume, bound, 4s. 
 
 FLOWER. — Reading Lessons for the Higher Classes in 
 Grammar, Middle, and Diocesan Schools. Selected 
 and arranged by the Rev. W. B. Flower, B.A. 12mo., 
 cloth, 3s. 
 
 %* This has been pronounced a useful work, and well adapted to its pur- 
 pose, by the Most Reverend the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishops of 
 London, Exeter, Lichfield, Ripon, Lincoki, and Fredericton, and many Mas- 
 ters of Grammar Schools, into some of which it has been introduced. 
 
 " The collection of materials is varied, interesting, and sound."— CAmhaw 
 Remembrancer, 
 
 HELPS FOR CONFIRMATION AND FIRST COMMU- 
 NION. ^ By Two Priests of the Church of England. With 
 Instructions on Confession, Self-Examination, Repentance, 
 &c. 6d. 
 
 HICKS. — Catechetical Lectures on the Incarnation. 
 By the Rev. James Hicks, Rector of Piddle Trenthide, 
 Dorchester. 4s. 6d. 
 
 " The amount of instruction in the principal Articles of Christian doctrine, 
 and also on the Sacraments and other essentials of the Church is very con- 
 siderable." — English Review. 
 
 7 
 
Catechetical and Educational Works. 
 
 HINTS ON EARLY EDUCATION, addressed to Mothers. 
 By a Mother. 9d. 
 *' A most valuable book for mothers."— Western Courier. 
 
 HOLDEN. — The Anglican Catechist. A Manual of In- 
 struction Preparatory to Confirmation. By the Rev. 
 George Holden, Perpetual Curate of Maghull, Liverpool. 
 Price 2s. 
 
 " It brings prominently forward the particulars which require chief atten- 
 tion; and not only explains the truths, but places before the reader with 
 clearness and precision the arguments with Scriptural authorities, by which 
 each Doctrine may be supported." — Morning Post. 
 
 " A g:reat deal of good information, confirmed by copious quotations from 
 Holy Scripture." — Clerical Journal. 
 
 " The Doctrine is sound and very happUy stated, more particularly that re- 
 lating to the Sacraments. We can recommend it with confidence." — Scottish 
 Ecclesiastical Journal. 
 
 HOPWOOD.— School Geography. By the late Rev. H. 
 Hopwood. New edition. 2s. 6d. ; cheap edition, Is. 8d. 
 
 HOPWOOD. — The Child's Geography,- being an abridg- 
 ment of the above. Is. 
 
 " The chapter on the geography of the Christian Church is a great boon to 
 Chm-chmen. ' ' — Ecclesiastic. 
 
 JOHNS. — The Collects and Catechising for every Sun- 
 day AND Festival throughout the Year. By the 
 Rev. B. G. Johns, Chaplain of the Blind School, South- 
 wark. 18mo., 3s. 
 
 " It is drawn up chiefly for the guidance of begroners in the art of teaching, 
 and is pubMshed with the hope that it may become useful to the Clergy, and 
 all those engaged in the religious education of the people." — Preface. 
 
 JOHNS. — Easy Dictation Lessons, Original and Selected. 
 6d., cloth, 8d. 
 
 " The method combines the threefold advantages of teaching, spelling, and 
 writing in the most exact manner ; of conveying a good deal of miscellaneous 
 information, and of furnishing a quiet occupation to the classes engaged in 
 it. ' ' — Ecclesiastic. 
 
 KINGS OF ENGLAND. A History for Young Children. 
 By the author of " Scenes and Characters." Fcp. Svo., 
 price 3s. 
 
 A School Edition, slightly abridged, with Questions. ISmo., 
 price Is. 
 
 LANDMARKS OF HISTORY ; a Summary of Ancient 
 History. By the author of " Kings of England." 2s. 6d. 
 
 LANDMARKS OF HISTORY; the Middle Ages. Cloth, 
 price 3s. 
 8 
 
J, Masters^ London, 
 
 LANDMARKS OF HISTORY. Modern History. From 
 the Reformation to the fall of Napoleon. 5s. 6d. 
 
 LESSONS FOR EVERY DAY IN THE WEEK, with Hymns 
 and Music. By the author of " Conversations with Cousin 
 Rachel." 3d. Companion to the Lessons, for the Use 
 of the Teacher. Is. 3d. 
 
 LESSONS IN GRAMMAR FOR A CHILD. Large type, 
 suited for pasting upon a Card. 4d. 
 
 M ALAN.— Plain Exposition of the Apostles' Creed, 
 in Question and Answer. By the Rev. S. C. Malan, M.A., 
 Vicar of Broadwindsor. Is. 6d. 
 
 MANGIN. — An Outline of the History of the Church, 
 in Question and Answer. By the Rev. S. "W. Mangin, B.A., 
 Incumbent of Headington, Oxford. 4d. 
 
 •' An intelligent and useful performance ia the way of a Catechism, compre- 
 hends all the leading points of its subjects." — Britannia. 
 
 " A useful contribution for National and Sunday Schools." — Colonial Church 
 Chronicle. 
 
 " Thoroughly and unobtrusively orthodox." — English Review. 
 
 NEALE. — Church History for Children, of the first 
 THREE Centuries. By the Rev. J. M. Neale, M.A. 3s. 
 
 NEWLAND. — Confirmation and First Communion. A 
 Series of Essays, Lectures, Sermons, Conversations, and 
 Heads of Catechising, relative to the preparation of Cate- 
 chumens. By the Rev. H. Newland, M.A., Vicar of S. 
 Marychurch, Devon. Second edition. Post 8vo., cloth, 
 7s. 6d. ; calf, lis. 
 
 Tracts printed from the above for distribution to Catechu- 
 mens, in a packet. Is. 4d. [See Part VII. Tracts.] 
 
 " We do not believe that there is any single volume in our language on the 
 subject in which so much soimd practical information is so sensibly and vividly 
 conveyed, applied, and illustrated." — English Churchman. 
 
 " This book, the results of twenty-five years' experience in parochial work 
 and of much thought and study, contains a more than ordinary amount of 
 valuable instruction and counsel on a part of the Christian ministarjr which, 
 more than any other, affords opportunities for recovering the spiritual influence 
 of the Church system." — John Bull. 
 
 THE ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF THE NATIONAL 
 
 AND INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS, in connection with the 
 
 Church of the Holy Trinity, at Finchley, showing their 
 
 effect in preventing Juvenile delinquency. 6d. 
 
 " A praiseworthy attempt to impress on the public mind the efficiency of the 
 
 system of Industrial Schools in diminishing Juvenile crime."— ComAndge 
 
 Chronicle. 
 
 9 
 
Catechetical and Educational Works. 
 
 PAGET.— How TO Spend Sunday Well and Happily. 
 By the Rev. F. E. Paget, M.A. On a Card, Id. 
 
 PHIPPS. — Catechism on the Holy Scriptures. By the 
 Rev. E. J. Phipps, Rector of Stansfield, Suffolk. 18mo., Is. 
 
 PITNEY.— Cottage Economy. By a Cottager. In Three 
 Lectures, addressed to the Girls of the Westbourne Na- 
 tional School. By Augusta Anne Pitney, late Pupil 
 Teacher. With a Preface and Notes by the Rev. Henry 
 Newland. 4d. 
 
 PLEA FOR INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS, with a Short Sketch 
 of the Progress of the National and Industrial Schools of 
 Finchley. By one of the Editors of " the Finchley 
 Manuals." Fcp. 8vo., 3s. 6d. 
 
 " The author calls public attention to the paramount advantages which 
 would result from the combination of industrial training with religious and 
 secular instruction." — Morning Post. 
 
 POOLE. — History of England. From the First Invasion 
 to Queen Victoria. By the Rev. G. A. Poole, M.A., 
 Vicar of Welford, Northamptonshire. New edition. One 
 Vol., post 8vo., cloth, 7s. 6d. 
 
 " One of the first efforts to be of service to the Church in this respect — 
 written in a masculine, vigorous, classic style, admirably adapted for the pe- 
 rusal and instruction of the young." — Christian Remembrancer. 
 
 PYE. — A Short Ecclesiastical History ; from the con- 
 clusion of the Acts of the Apostles to the Council of Nice, 
 A.D. 325. By the Rev. H. J. Pye, M.A., Vicar of Clifton 
 Campville. Is. 6d. 
 
 QUESTIONS ON CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE AND PRAC- 
 TICE. Id. 
 
 READINGS FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE. By the author of 
 " Tales of Kirkbeck," &c. Fcp. Svo., Is. 6d., Pp. 252. 
 
 " These Readings from Holy Scripture have been arranged at the wish of 
 various persons, who find the want of some such book to put into the hands, 
 whether of their own children at home, or of the children of their schools. 
 The object has been to keep as closely as may be to the simple Sacred History, 
 and to draw out from the more prominent portions, such practical lessons as 
 may fix upon the mind the providential dealings of God, and carry on to after 
 years the impression of God's truth planted in childhood. 
 
 " The Work has been submitted to two or three Clergymen, who have had 
 experience in teaching, and they would fain hope with God's grace, that the 
 little ones who read the history of His dealings with His servants in these 
 pages, may be prepared hereafter to turn with deeper reverence to Holy Scrip- 
 ture itself, and to read its words, as a means of receiving the Holy Ghost, 
 and of being guided by Him, as members of Christ's Body into aU truth." — 
 Pre/ace. 
 10 
 
J. Masters. London, 
 
 SANKEY.— Bible Exercises, adapted to the Services of 
 the Church of England, and designed chiefly for Sun- 
 day Schools. By the Rev. Philip Sankey, M.A., S. John's 
 College, Oxon. Teacher's Copy, 8d., Pupil's Copy, 6d. 
 
 " An exceedingly useful compilation." — Oxford Herald. 
 
 SCRIPTURE HISTORY FOR THE YOUNG. By the author 
 of " Reflections, Meditations," &c. Old and New Testa- 
 ments, 3s. 6d., or with 16 engravings, 4s. 6d. 
 
 This is founded on Canon Schmid's " Bible History." 
 
 Parti, embraces most of the chief points of Old Testament History, written 
 in a simple, reverential manner, and in strict eiccordance with the Sacred 
 Text. 
 
 Part II. contains a History of onr Blessed Lord, and the great and wonder- 
 ful things He did, written in a similar style. 
 
 SMITH.— The Church Catechism Illustrated by the 
 Book of Common Prayer. By the Rev. Rowland 
 Smith, M.A., Vicar of Ilston, South Wales. 4d. 
 
 " Cannot but convince the most sceptical that there is a tmity of Catholic 
 teaching about the Prayer Book which no amount of special pleading can 
 evade or overthrow." — Ecclesiastic, 
 
 STRETTON.— The Church Catechism Explained and 
 Annotated principally as an Aid to the Clergy in 
 Catechising in Churches. By the Rev. H. Stretton, 
 M.A. Part I. Is. cloth, interleaved, Is. 6d. 
 
 STRETTON.— The Church Catechism Explained, for the 
 Aid of Young Persons. Part First. Abridged from the 
 above. 2d. 
 
 STRETTON.— The Child's Catechism. Id. 
 
 STRETTON.— A Catechism of First Truths of Christi- 
 anity introductory to the Church Catechism. Id. 
 
 STRETTON— A Brief Catechism of the Bible. 6d.; 
 
 cloth, 8d. 
 
 " a vast deal of correct information in a form adapted to the young. The 
 credit of Mr. Stretton's Catechisms will be sustained by the present one."— 
 Clerical Journal. 
 
 SUNDAY ALPHABET, THE LITTLE CHRISTIAN'S. 4d.; 
 enamel wrapper, 6d. ; coloured, Is. 
 
 THRIFT ; or. Hints for Cottage Housekeeping. By the author 
 of " A Trap to Catch a Sunbeam." 2d. 
 
 VERSES AND PICTURES Illustrating the Life of our 
 Lord. A packet of Reward Cards for Children, Is. 
 
 11 
 
Catechetical and Educational Works. 
 
 WAKEFIELD.— Charades from History, Geography, 
 AND Biography. By Eliza Wakefield. Is. 6d. 
 
 The enigma has been the vehicle of instruction from the earliest ages. 
 
 The subjects of these charades are chiefly arranged, upon Geography, His- 
 tory, and Biography ; and the facts stated have been obtained from the best 
 authority. 
 
 WAKEFIELD. — Mental Exercises for Juvenile Minds. 
 Price 2s. 
 
 This little work contains upwards of 500 Questions on History and Chrono- 
 logy, and is intended to be used without the aid of slate or paper. 
 
 WATSON. — A Catechism on the Book of Common 
 Prayer. By the Rev. Alexander Watson, M.A. 3s. 
 Fine paper edition, 3s. 6d. Part II., 2s. 
 
 *' Will be found eminently useful in schools and private families in imparting 
 to the minds of youth that elementary rehgious knowledge which is so apt to 
 be overlooked." — John Bull. 
 
 " Executed with great abUity and tact, and is in every way satisfactory to 
 every sound and pious Churchman." — Church Intelligencer. 
 
 WEST. — Questions and Answers on the Chief Truths 
 of the Christian Religion, for the assistance of younger 
 Teachers and Monitors. By the Rev. J. R. West, Vicar 
 of Wrawby, Lincolnshire. Id., or 7s. per 100. 
 
 WEST.—QuESTiONS ON the Chief Truths of the Chris- 
 tian Religion, intended for the Use of higher classes. 3d. 
 
 YOUNG CHURCHMAN'S ALPHABET. By the author of 
 *' The Grandfather's Christmas Tale," &c. With Illustra- 
 tions of the chief events in our Lord's Life, drawn and 
 engraved by R. and H, Dudley, 6d. 
 
 12