A26924:377
The English nonconformity as under King Charles II and King James II truly stated…
The English nonconformity as under King Charles II and King James II truly stated and argued by Richard Baxter ; who earnestly beseecheth rulers and clergy not to divide and destroy the land and cast their own souls on the dreadful guilt and punishment of national perjury ...
London: printed for Tho. Parkhurst, 1689
Chapter 19: Point XVI. Of Consenting to reject all from Communion, who desire not our Episcopal Con…
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Hammond, and yet were it to prevent our continued division, and our ruin, there is no hope of obtaining it.
L. Why, what hinders if all sides desire it?
M. It is desired as Holiness is desired; seriously by the serious; reservedly, and by halves by the half Christian, and only the Name, Image and Ceremony by the gross Hypocrite, who hateth it at the Heart, because it is above him, and against his carnal mind and interest. And indeed it is here made impossible to be done any otherwise ordinarily than as a Ceremony. For 1. The Dioceses are so vast that the Bishop cannot do this and other his Offices for the hundredth part of his undertaken Flock. Suppose this Diocese have but five or six hundred thousand Souls (for when an hundred thousand died the last Plague, I hope it was not above the sixth part:) Do you think that the Bishop is able (did he work as hard as any Nonconformist) to confirm six hundred thousand Persons, or the twentieth part of them, or the hundredth, in that serious manner as belongs to the binding of a Soul to Christ in so solemn a Covenant. It becometh me not to inquire whether Bishops be men that are for so much seriousness in Christianity themselves, and so much labour to attain it: Some are far better than others: You know them as well as I. But I must say 1. That as far as I can learn there is not one of an hundred confirmed at all. 2. All the thousands that are unconfirmed live in the Parishes as reputed Christians, and may come to the Sacrament when they will. 3. I never knew one Minister of all that Covenanted it, to keep one man from the Sacrament for not being Confirmed, or ⟨p. 101⟩not being desirous of it; nor one Neighbour that ever was examined on this Point, whether he were Confirmed, or were ready and desired it. 4. Some few elder Votaries to the Bishops perhaps may be serious in it; but what a mere running Ceremony it is usually made, I need not tell you. I have formerly said, that I was at 15 years of Age Confirmed my self, by Bishop Morton (one of the Learnedest and best Bishops that ever I knew) and we ran thither from School, without the Minister's knowledge, or one word from our Master, to tell us what Confirmation is; and in a Church yard in the Path-Way, as the Bishop past by, we kneeled down, and laying his Hands on every Boys Head, he said a few words, I knew not what; nor did any one of my School-fellows, as far as I could perceive, know what he said; nor know what Confirmation is, any more than to have the Bishop's Blessing: