To this End, purify our Souls from all corrupt Defires, and Affections; Mortify all our Carnal Lufts, and Appetites; make us as conftant, and zealous to Deny, as we have ever been heretofore ready to Gratify and Indulge Them. Pour into our Hearts a Spirit of Piety and Devotion; of Love and Charity; of Humility and Self-denial; and Grant that these, and all other Chriftian Graces, and Virtues, may more and more increafe, and abound Remove from us all Envy, and Hatred, and Malice; and whatsoever elfe is contrary to our Duty towards thee, or towards our Neighbour: And fo eftablish us in thy Fear, that it may never depart from our minds; but be a conftant Security to us against all thofe Temptations which either the Devil, the World, or our own Flesh, shall hereafter minifter unto us; to draw us into Sin, or to hinder us in our Duty.

in us.

More particularly, we pray thee, to pardon and forgive us whatfoever we have done Amifs this Day: O let us not lie down to reft under thy Difpleafure: But grant us that Forgiveness of our Sins now, which we may never have any future Opportunity to ask of thee.

Take us, this Night, into thine efpecial Favour and Protection. Give thy Holy Angels charge over us, that no Evils happen unto us, nor any Dangers approach us, to disturb our Repose. Refresh us with comfortable Reft, and Raise us up in the Morning, with renewed Strength, and Vigour, to Praife thy Name. And now that we are about to lie down upon our Bed of Reft, grant us Grace feriously to confider that time when, in a little while, we shall lie down in the Duft: And fince we know neither the Day nor Hour of our Mafter's Coming, make us fo careful of our Duty, and fo watchful against Sin, that we may be always Ready: That we may never live in fuch a State, as we should fear to die in ; but that whether we live we may live unto the Lord; Or whether we die we may die unto the Lord; that whether we live or die we may be thine thro' Jefus Christ our Lord; in whofe moft Holy Name and Words, we farther call upon Thee, Saying:

Our

Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy Name; thy Kingdom come; thy Will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven; Give us Day by Day our daily Bread; And forgive us our Trefpaffes, as we forgive them that Trespass against us; And lead us not into Temptation, but deliver us from Evil; For thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, for Ever and Ever. Amen.

The Almighty Lord, who is a moft ftrong Tower of Defence to All them that put their Truft in Him; To whom all things in Heaven and Earth, and under the Earth, do Bow and Obey; Be Now, and Evermore, our Defender and Preserver.

Unto his gracious Favour and Protection we most humbly commend ourselves, and all that belong unto Us. The Lord Blefs Us, and Keep Us. The Lord make his Face to fhine upon Us, and be gracious unto Us. The Lord lift up the Light of His Countenance upon Us; and give Us his Peace, this Night, and for Evermore, Amen.

Note, That thefe Prayers may, with a very little Alteration, be as proper for fingle Perfons to make Ufe of as for Families.

The

See above, Sect. ii. 2.5, &c.

was Baptized by fome Minister of an Inferior Order, being now Eftablished in the Communion of the Church by One of the Chief Pafters of it, And, laftly, The Godfathers and Godmothers, who became Sureties both for the Good Inftruction and Education of the Perfon whom they Anfwer'd for; being thereby fully acquitted and difcharged of their Truft; and declared to have faithfully fulfilled, what they had fo facredly promised and undertaken to do.

12. 2. Do you look upon all Godfathers and Godmothers to be obliged to fee that Those for whom they Answer be firft duly Inftructed in the Principles of their Religion, and then brought to the Bishop to be Confirmed by Him?

A. They are certainly Obliged, as far as a Solemn Promife, made in the Prefence of God, and in a Matter not only Lawful, but Pious and Charitable, can Oblige them. Nor can I imagine how any One, who has taken fuch an Ob ligation upon Himself will ever be able to anfwer it, either to God, or his Own Confcience, if he' fhall neglect to fulfil what He undertook in that behalf.

13. 2. What think you of Thofe who Come to the Lord's Supper, without either being Confirmed; or having any Defire or Intention to be Confirmed?

A. They are doubtlefs to be blamed: Inafmuch as thereby they not only break the Orders, and difobey the Command of the Church; which for fuch good Reasons as we have feen, Requires them to be Confirmed; but seem afham'd to own their Chriftian Profeffion; and to defpife the Prayers of their Bifhop for fuch Graces, as they certainly ought to Defire, and cannot reasonably Hope, by any more effectual means to obtain of God, than by a Pious and Reverend Participation of this Holy Ordinance.

14. 2. May not the Grace of God be Obtain'd as well by our Own Prayers, as by the Bishop's Impofition of Hands upon Us?

A. That is not the Queftion: We know that God has promised his Holy Spirit to Every One who faithfully Prays for Him. But the Question is this: Firft, Whether, if a Man may Obtain this Grace by his Own Prayers alone, He may not expect more certainly to do it, by adding the joint Prayers of the Bishop, and the Church, to them? And Secondly, Whether He who Carelefly Neglects, or Prefumptuously Defpifes the Or ders of the Church, and the Pious Provifion made by Her, for all Her Members, at their first fetting out into the Dangers and Temptations, of the World; may not juftly fear, left God fhould Refuse that Grace to his Own Solitary Prayers, for which He Neglected, or Defpifed, the Prayers of the Bifbep, and the Church, on his behalf?

152 What is Required of Perfons to be Confirmed?

A. First, That they be of Years of Difcretion; that is to say, Of a Capacity to understand the Nature of their Baptifmal Covenant; What God therein Promises to Us; And what we are thereby Obliged to Believe, and Do, in Obedience to his Will. Secondly, That they be not only capable of this Knowledge, but be Actually Inftructed in thefe Things. Thirdly, That being hereby brought to a Clear Senfe of what was done for them, by their Godfathers, and Godmothers, at their Baptifm; They be now Ready, and Defrous, in their Own Perfons, to Ratify, and Confirm the fame. And, laftly, that in Testimony of their fincere Refolutions to make Good what they here Promife, and Vow, they do now truly Repent of All their Sins, and fted faftly Refolve, by the Grace of God, to go on in a Conftant Obe

dience to God's Commands unto their Lives End.

16. 2. At what Times ought such Persons to be Confirmed?

A. At fuch Times as the Bishop appoints for this Purpose. Only, if it be poffible, they should endeavour to be Confirmed, and thereby fully take upon themfelves the First Sacrament, before they proceed to the Participation of the Second.

17. 2. How often ought any Christian to be Confirmed?

A. The Nature of the Office plainly fhews it. Confirmation, as it is understood, and practifed by Us, is nothing elfe but a Solemn Ratification of our Baptifmal Covenant. Now no Man ought to be Baptized more than Once: Nor will He therefore need any more than Once to take that Covenant upon Himfelf. If after this He fhall fall into any Sins, whereby to put Himself out of a State of Grace; Or even to be cut off from the Communion of the Church; there are other means of Reftoring him again to Both, upon his fincere Repentance for what he has done Amifs. But our Baptifm muft not be Repeated; Nor will our Confirmation therefore need to be Repeated by Us.

A FORM