A dispute against the English-popish ceremonies, obtruded upon the Church of Scotland Wherein not…A dispute against the English-popish ceremonies, obtruded vpon the Church of Scotland Wherein not…

The same kind of operative virtue is ascribed to the Ceremony Sect. 5 of Confirmation or Bishopping. For the English Service Book teacheth, that by it Children receive strength against Sin, and against Tentation. And ^fHooker hath told us, that albeit the Successors of the Apostles, had but only for a time such power as by Prayer and imposition of hands to bestow the Holy Ghost, yet Confirmation hath continued hitherto for very special benefits; and that the Fathers impute every where unto it, that Gift or Grace of the Holy Ghost, not which maketh us first Christian men, but when we are made such, assisteth us in all virtue, armeth us against Tentation and Sin. Moreover, whiles he is a showing why this Ceremony of Confirmation was separated from Baptism, having been long joined with it, one of his reasons which he giveth for the Separation, is, that sometimes the parties who received Baptism were Infants, ⟨p. 52⟩at which age they might well be admitted to live in the family, but to fight in the army of God, to bring forth the fruits, and to do the works of the Holy Ghost, their time of ability was not yet come, which implieth, that by Confirmation men receive this ability, else there is no sense in that which he saith. What is Idolatry, if this be not, to ascribe to Rites of mans devising, the power and virtue of doing that which none but he to whom all power in heaven and earth belongs, can do? And howbeit Hooker would strike us dead at once, with the high-sounding name of the Fathers, yet it is not unknown, that the first Fathers from whom this Idolatry hath descended, were those ancient Heretics, the Montanists. for as ^gChemnitius marketh out of Tertullian & Cyprian, the Montanists were the first, who began to ascribe any spiritual efficacy or operation to Rites and Ceremonies devised by men.

The same kinde of operative vertue is ascribed to the Ceremony Sect. 5 of Confirmation or Bishopping. For the English Service Booke teacheth, that by it Children receive strength against Sinne, and against Tentation. And ^fHooker hath told us, that albeit the Successors of the Apostles, had but onely for a time such power as by Prayer and imposition of hands to bestow the Holy Ghost, yet Confirmation hath continued hitherto for very speciall benefites; and that the Fathers impute every where unto it, that Gift or Grace of the Holy Ghost, not which maketh us first Christian men, but when we are made such, assisteth us in all vertue, armeth us against Tentation and Sinne. Moreover, whiles he is a shewing why this Ceremony of Confirmation was separated from Baptisme, having been long joyned with it, one of his reasons which he giveth for the Separation, is, that sometimes the parties who received Baptisme were Infants,