Then hall the Prieft ufe this my hand upon thee; In to Prayer. ALmighty and everlasting God, who haft vouchfafed to regenerate these thy fervants by water and the Holy Ghoft,and haft given unto them the fign of the forgivnefs of their fins; ftrengthen them, we beseech thee, O Lord, with the Holy Ghoft the Comforter; and daily increase in them thy manifold gifts of grace; the fpirit of wisdomn and understanding ; the fpirit of counfel and ghoftly strength; the fpirit of knowledge and true godli nefs; and fill them, OLord, with the fpirit of thy holy fear, now and for ever. men. A Then fhall the Prieft add as follows, SIgn and feal these Perfons, Lord, for thine own felf, that they may be thine for ever, by the holy crofs and paffion of thy Son. Confirm and ftrengthen them mercifully with the inward unction of the Holy Ghoft; that they may daily increafe in the graces of the fame Spirit more and more, until they come to thine everlafting kingdom. Amen. Then the Prieft fhall feal them feverally with the feal of the Cross on their foreheads; and feverally lay his hand upon their heads, saying, N.I feal thee with the feal of the Crofs, and lay ken that thou art devoted to the faith and obedience of Chrift crucified, and that his holy Spirit will be ready to affift thee, and to enable thee manfully to fight under his banner againft fin, the world, and the devil, and that thou must continue Chrift's faithful Soldier and Servant, unto thy lives end. Amen. [Note, The feal of the Cross ought to be made with the holy Ointment.] Then fhall the Prieft fay, E yield thee humble thanks, O heavenly Father, that thou haft vouchfafed to call us to the knowledge of thy grace and faith in thee; Increase this knowledge, and confirm this faith in us evermore. Give thy Holy Spirit to these perfons 3 that being now born again, and made heirs of ever lafting falvation, through our Lord Jefus Chrift, they may continue thy fervants, and attain thy promises, thro' the fame our Lord Jefus Chrift thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with thee now and for ever. Amen. Then all ftanding up, the Prieft fhall ufe this Exhortation following. Orafmuch as you have promised in the presence of this Congregation to renounce the devil and all his works, to believe in God, and ง and to ferve him; ye muft remember that it is your part and duty to perform that folemn vow, promife and profeffion you have now made before this Congrega tion. And you are alfo to use all diligence to be farther rightly inftructed in God's holy Word, that fo you may grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jefus Christ, and live godly, righteously and foberly in this prefent world. AND as you have now by Baptifm put on Chrift, it is your part and duty, being made the children of God, and of the light, by faith in Jefus Chrift, to walk anfwerably to your Chriftian calling, and as becometh the children of light remembring always that Baptifm reprefenteth unto us our profeffion; which is, to follow the example of our Saviour Chrift, and to be made like unto him; that as he died, and rofe again for us, fo fhould we who are baptized, die from fin, and rife again unto righteousness, continually mortifying all our evil and corrupt affections, and daily proceeding in all virtue and godliness of living. And this Collect, all kneeling. jefty; We make our humble fupplications unto thee for these thy fervants, upon whom I have now laid my hand, to certify them (by this fign) of thy favour and gracious goodness towards them. Let thy Fatherly hand, we beseech thee, ever be over them; let thy Holy Spirit ever be with them; and fo lead them in the knowledge and obedience of thy Word, that in the end they may obtain everlafting life, through our Lord Jefus Chrift; by whom be glory, honour, and adoration to thee for ever and ever. Amen. Note alfo, from the Conftitutions,that if there he neither Oil nor Ointment, Water is fufficient, both for the anointing, and for the feal,and for the confeffion of him that is dying together with Chrift. And that the Perfons who are to be baptized are to faft before their Baptism, the whole Church ufually fasting with them. Which Circumftances fitted beft to the Eve before Eafter: to which time the annual folemn celebration of this ordinance was at first usually appropriated. Then the Bishop shall bless. them, faying thus, ALmighty and everlafting THE bleifing of God Al God, who workest in us both to will and to do thofe things that be good and acceptableunto thy divine Ma and ver. mighty be upon you, remain with you Amen. for e Note, 1 Note, There ought none to be admitted to the holy Com munion, until they be Bap- And if any have been Baptized, but not Confirmed, the Of fice may begin with the most folemn Confession and Abfolu tion, and then go on with the Renunciation and Confeffi on, and what follows here, excepting what immediately concerns Baptifm itself; but with fome fuch verbal Alterations as the cafe will make neceffary. Inftead of the ufual Church Catechifm, let these following Inftructions be learn'd by all the Catechumens, and explained on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays by the Catechifts. The Ten Commandments, Exod. XX. THE II. Thou shalt not make to thy felf 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 vifit the fins of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and fhew mercy unto thousands in them that love me, and keep my commandments. III. Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy IV.Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath-day. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all that thou haft to do; but the feventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. In it thou fhalt do no manner of work, thou, and thy fon, and thy daughter, thy man-fervant, and thy maid-fervant, thy cattle, and the ftranger that is within thy gates. For in fix days the Lord made heaven and earth, the fea, and all that in them is, and rested the feventh day; wherefore the Lord bleffed the seventh day and hallowed it. V. Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee. VI. Thou 1 VI. Thou shalt do murder. no Communicate the Neceffa 1 ries of Life to the Needy: VII. Thou shalt not Avoid fwearing falfly, and commit adultery. VIII.Thou shalt not fteal. IX. Thou shalt not bear falfe witness against thy neighbour. X. Thou shalt not covet thy neigbours houfe, thou fhalt not covet thy neighbours wife, nor his fervant, nor his maid, nor his ox, nor his ass, or any thing that is his. TheChriftian Explication and fwearing often, and in vain; for thou shalt not be held guiltlefs. Do not appear before the Priests empty; and offer thy Free-willOfferings continually: Moreover, do not leave the Church of Chrift; but go thither in the Morning, before all thy work; and again meet there in the Evening to return Thanks to God that He has preferved thy Life: Be diligent, and constant, and laborious in thy Calling: Of fer to the Lord thy Free-will Offerings; for fays he Ho nour the Lord with the Fruit of thy Labours: If thou art not able to caft any thing confiderable intothe Corban, yet at least bestow upon the Strangers one, or two, or five Mites. Lay up for thy felf Heavenly Treasure, which neither the Moth nor Thieves can deftroy. The Beatitudes, Matth. v. rit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Bleffed are they that mourn, for they fhall be comforted. Bleffed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they fhall be filled. Bleffed are the merciful, for they fhall obtain mercy. Bleffed are the pure in heart, for they L fhall fhall fee God. Bleffed are the peace makers, for they fhall be called the children of God. Bleffed are they which are perfecuted for righteousness fake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Bleffed are ye when men fhall revile you and perfecute you, and fhall fayall manner of evil against you falfly, for my fake: Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven for fo perfecuted they the prophets which were before you. [See alfo that whole Sermon at the Mount, Mat. v. vi, vii.] S.Paul's Heads of Catechetick Inftructions. Heb. vi. 2. T Herefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Chrift, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith towards God,Of [* Dippings the doctrine of or Baptifms.] *immerfions, and of laying on of hands, and of refurrection of the dead, and of eternal Judgment. The Heads of Catechetick Inftruction out of the Conftitutions, Lib. vii. c. 39, ment of the Holy Ghoft. Let him learn the Order of the feveral Parts of the Creation, theSeries of Providence, the different Difpenfations of the Laws: Let him be inftructed why the world was made, and why Man was appointed to be a Citizen therein; let him alfo know his own Nature, of what fort it is; let him be taught how God punished the Wicked with Water, and did glorify the Saints in every Generation; I mean Enoch and Noah, and Abraham, and his Pofterity, and Melchifedech and Job, and Moses, and fofbua, and Caleb, and Phineas the Prieft, and those that were holy in every Generation; and how God ftill took care of, and did not reject Mankind, but called them from their Error and Vanity to the Acknowledgment of the Truth at various Seafons, reducing them from Bondage and Impiety unto Liberty and Piety, from Injustice to Righteousness, from DeathEternal to Everlasting Life. Let him that offers himself to Baptifm learn thefe and the like things in his Catechizing. Let him alfo be inftructed in the Doctrines concerning our Lord's Incarnation, and in those concerning his Paffion, and Refurrection from the Dead, and Afcenfion. And |