The intellectual requirements are therefore simple. The child "is to be confirmed as 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."

What the "further instruction” may be is of course indefinite. The child of the kingdom must bear in mind five things:

1. His position as one baptized-the terms of his admission to CHRIST's kingdom. 2. The Creed-the unalterable laws of that kingdom within itself.

3. The Commandments-the laws of that kingdom as influencing dealings with the world external to it.

4. The privilege of Prayer-by which to fulfil the continual duty of looking for help to the Great Head of the kingdom.

5. The Sacraments-by which outward things are so made subject to this spiritual kingdom that by them grace is conveyed to the soul, and the soul is assured of its reception.

Persons are not therefore to be troubled with scruples, because there may be many points in the Christian religion which they can scarcely realise. The more we know

of the faith, the more we shall find that we "know nothing yet as we ought to know." Readiness to accept from GOD the teaching of the kingdom of GOD is the habit of mind which we must have if we would seek the SPIRIT of GOD. soever has this, may come to be confirmed, if he know ever so little. not this, may not come to be confirmed, though he know never so much.

Who

Whosoever has

Sect. 4. Moral requirements.

It is not enough that the child be taught to know and believe what is necessary to his soul's health. He must also be trained to practise what he knows. Christian knowledge is not apprehended really until it is really acted upon. Even the abstrusest doctrines of our faith are intended to be to us a Divine basis of action. The Divine nature is to us the source of new powers. What we know about God should therefore help us to use those powers. "Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is JESUS CHRIST." (1 Cor. iii. 11.) The godparents must therefore see that "the child be virtuously brought up, to lead a godly and a Christian life." He must be trained in faith

and in holiness,-in "faith which worketh by love." (Gal. v. 6.)

Now this love or "charity which edifieth," (1 Cor. viii. 1) is not a merely natural principle of morality. It is very different from a general kindly feeling towards our neighbours, such as even the unregenerate may have, and that even is a vestige of the Divine image still reminding us of our former high estate. But love is the exercise of a new, Divine power. Faith working by love is an acknowledgment not merely of duties newly taught, but of powers newly given. Without these new powers, our regeneration would be no new creation, but when we were born again, we were created anew in CHRIST JESUS unto good works."

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At Confirmation the powers of this new creation are to be invigorated. This ordinance is called Confirmation, because it is "the confirming" or strengthening of these powers. In the outward creation we see all things that have life, have a period of maturity as well as of infancy. So it is with the regenerate. The powers are first given, and then matured, developed, strengthened, completed.

The perfection of the maturity of course is greatly dependent upon the use made of

the infancy. If we have used the one wrongly, we incapacitate ourselves to use the other rightly. The child must therefore be trained to live in the consciousness of his new birth, and to act by the influence of the HOLY SPIRIT of love. He must have learned that Christian duties cannot be performed by him naturally, that what he does do, he is only doing by the help of GOD, and that if he would do better, he must seek further and fuller help. In this spirit he will draw near to receive that help by being confirmed.

A child instructed to act conformably to these principles is "virtuously brought up;" for as will now be clear, this word "virtuous" does not imply a self-righteous idea, of "never having done any wrong," which is a phrase too commonly employed by people when they mean to say they are fit to come, but the virtuousness here alluded to is the possession of those Divine gifts, the Christian virtues, whereby we are kept in union with CHRIST, faith, hope, and charity, and a child who is trained to look to these gifts as Divine helps, and to use them, however imperfectly, is being "virtuously brought up to lead a godly and a Christian life."

Sect. 5. The convenient age.

The communication of so vast a gift is of course attended with proportionate obligations. The Church has therefore wisely ordained that Confirmation shall not be administered to infants, inasmuch as it is not necessary to salvation, but shall be administered if possible, at that time of life when fresh struggles await the Christian, and therefore fresh grace is needed. Great gifts involve great duties. The gift is therefore withholden until the duty can be known. As soon therefore as any one is capable of appreciating the duty, the Church is ready to admit him to receive the gift. Sect. 6. Why Confirmation should be deferred.

Youth then is not, of itself, a reason for putting off the approach to this ordinance. As soon as the Christian obligations are known, the Church is ready to impart the Christian faculties.

Is there then any valid reason for deferring to come and seek them?

There is none which would not equally prevent any one saying the LORD's Prayer. Unwillingness to fulfil Christian obligations of course makes any one unfit to seek