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tize, being careful to pour, clean water on the infant, and to say, while pouring it, the Christian name, with these words "I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen." Infants baptized privately are truly and perfectly baptized, if water and the right words are used; and they must not be baptized again. But, if a child so baptized gets well, it must be taken to Church to be publicly "received into the Congregation of CHRIST'S flock," and signed with the sign of the cross.

Common sense as well as religion tells us that only children that have had Christian Baptism can have Christian Burial. Those only who were given to GOD in His appointed way when they were alive can be committed to His care when they are dead.

15.-ADULT BAPTISM.

If you were not baptized when a child, you must not put off that necessary Sacrament. Do not say that you won't be baptized, because you are not good enough. The question is, do you wish to be better than you are? Whether you are what is called bad or good, the blessings of Holy Baptism may be yours, if you only seek them with all your

heart. Pray to GOD to forgive your past neglect, and to guide you now.

Your parish clergyman will help you in your preparation. Don't wait for him to find out that you are unbaptized; but go to him as soon as you can, and don't be afraid to tell him yourself.

Before Baptism you must read, if you can, the Service for the "Public Baptism of such as are of riper years, and able to answer for themselves." You will find it in the Prayer Book, just before the Catechism. The title of the Service tells you what it means. You are now "of riper years;" and, as you have lived some years in the world, you have many stains of sin on your soul. You were born in sin; and you have, more or less, lived in sin.

You are now coming to Holy Baptism to have all those sins washed away in your Saviour's Precious Blood, and to be received into His Church as a child of God. You have to "answer for yourself;" so you must know all you can about the religion of CHRIST. The Church Catechism will help you in this. The Creed will tell you what you must believe; the Ten Commandments will show you what you must do; the LORD's Prayer will teach you how GOD lets His children

pray to Him; and everything | in the Catechism will help you to know the great gift that GOD would grant you, and the need of seeking it well. Read

now a right to say the LORD S prayer, and to call GOD your Father.

TISMAL VOWS.

the four questions in the Bap- | 16.-RENEWAL OF BAPtismal Service that you will have to answer when you come to be baptized; and be ready to profess your faith as one that truly desires to live a godly life.

At the time of your baptism, come with prayer and fasting, and think of nothing but of the blessing you seek. For it is GOD that grants it to you, and the priest only acts for GOD. Think of the Baptism of your Saviour how the heavens were opened, and the Spirit descended like a dove, and the voice of the Father said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." S. Matt. iii. 16, 17. This tells you what to hope for. The gates of heaven are shut against sinners; but the Son of GOD has opened them to all believers who confess Him as you are doing. Pray for the baptism of the Spirit. Pray that GOD may own you as His child, and be well pleased with you always.

After baptism, do not forget that you "have been purged from your old sins." Guard well the gift of GOD, and try to live the life of a Christian. Read Eph. ii. 1-5, and Col. i. 10-13. You have

The grace of Holy Baptism comes only once. Nobody who has been baptized as an infant can be baptized again. It is a great sin to repeat the Sacrament in any case. Yet it is well to keep in mind the blessings of Holy Baptism. You may from time to time renew your vows, and ask GOD to stir up His gift in you.

When you do this, go to your Father in secret, and think of the time when he first made you His child at the Holy Font. You were born in sin, but then you were new-born of water and of the Spirit How pure you were when GOD thus cleansed you! Think of this, and think also of your sins. Think how often yon have broken your vows, and stained your soul. Then, meekly kneeling on your knees. tell GOD of your longing to have revived in your soul the grace of Holy Baptism, and to make a solemn resolve to live up to your Christian profession. Then say solemnly and thoughtfully

In the name of the + Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Our Father. [Say the Lord's | use it on the Feast of the

Prayer.]

I renounce the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of the world, with all covetous desires of the same, and the carnal desires of the flesh, so that I will not follow nor be led by them.

I believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith.

I will try to keep GOD's Holy Will and Commandments.

I heartily thank my heavenly Father, that he hath called me to this state of salvation, through JESUS CHRIST my SAVIOUR. And I pray unto GOD to give me His grace, that I may continue in the same unto my life's end.

I thank Thee, O Lord, for my birth, but chiefly for my new birth in Holy Baptism. Let me not forget the object of my birth, nor depart from the blessing of my baptism. Let me ever keep the state of grace and salvation that Thou hast given me; and if by sin I ever fall from it, let me by repentance rise again to it. Lord, who gavest me this life on earth: grant me a better life with Thee in heaven; for His sake, whose Birth, Life, and Death make all ours blessed, JESUS CHRIST our LORD. Amen.

This devotion may be used at any time. It is good to

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Epiphany, Jan. 6, when the Church tells you of CHRIST'S Baptism; on Easter-Eve and Whitsun-Eve, the days that used to be set apart in the Church for the baptizing of converts; on the anniversary of your own Birth or Baptism; on the Feast-day of the Saint whose name you may bear; when you are present at a baptism of infants or adults; after any fall into sin, or after receiving any great mercy from God.

17.-CONFIRMATION. When you were fed as an infant, you did not know anything about the way food kept you alive. When you were baptized as an infant, you did not know anything about the way Baptism gave you new life. It was the duty of those that loved you to see that you were fed and baptized, simply because both were for your good. Because you were fed as an infant, and so kept alive, you have to take your place in the world, and work for yourself. Just in the same way, because you were baptized as an infant, and made a Christian, you must take your place in GOD's Church, and live a Christian life. In your Catechism you have often been asked the question, "Dost thou not think that thou art

bound to believe and to do as they [your God-parents] have promised for you?" and you have said, "Yes, verily; and by GoD's help so I will." From this you learn three things:

1. Confirmation is not a taking upon yourself of vows by which your God-parents were bound, for they were never bound by your vows. You were bound by the vows made at your baptism: they only promised to have you taught the promise you had made by them.

2. Confirmation is not a mere renewal of your baptismal vows, for as we saw in Chapter 16, you may do that as often as God's grace leads you to it, without the help of Bishop or Priest.

3. The only new thing that Confirmation binds you to is to confess CHRIST "openly before the Church," as the preface to the Confirmation Service says.

Now that you see what you are to do, let me show you what you are to get from GOD in Confirmation. Holy Baptism gave you life; Confirmation gives you strength. In Holy Baptism you were born of water and of the Spirit in Confirmation you seek more grace to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit. This is the real meaning of Confirmation. You must not

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think too much of what you do yourself, but rather of the good work of GOD upon your soul.

From all this you will see the strange mistake that some people make, when they put off Confirmation till they grow up. They think that they have to learn a great deal, and be very good before they are confirmed. All the while they forget that Confirmation means strengthening; and that it is the young, and the weak, and the tempted that most need that grace. Nobody, who is in earnest, is either too young or too old to be confirmed. In the early Church, Confirmation used to come close after Baptism in the case both of infants and grown-up people. It is a very good thing for children to give themselves early to GOD. How many might be saved from sin and woe, if they had GoD's strengthening grace before they went out into the world and were tempted to sin! But if you have not been confirmed in your early days, there is all the more reason why you should not put it off any longer. No matter how old you are: GOD will receive you. Young people have the promise, "Those that seek Me early shall find Me." You must hear God's voice saying to you, "It is time to seek the LORD."

Of course it is a very | solemn thing to come to Confirmation, but it is a very sad thing not to come when GOD calls; for JESUS said "Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father Which is in Heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father Which is in Heaven." S. Matt. x. 32, 33.

You will be taught by the Priest what to do before you come to be confirmed. You will read in the Bible how people, who had been baptized by a Minister, afterwards were confirmed by Apostles; and will see why the Bishop comes to lay his hands on you. Acts viii. 5, 12, 14, 15. The chief thing is to examine yourself. The Clergyman will help you in this part of your preparation.

[or, My daughter] be strong in the grace that is in CHRIST JESUS.". "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." 2 Tim. ii. 1; Rev. x. 2. Read also Gal. v. 16-25, and Eph. vi. 10-18.

If you cannot be confirmed soon, you may come to the Holy Communion if you are "ready and desirous to be confirmed." [See Rubric at the end of the Confirmation Service.] If you have been confirmed, and have not received the Holy Communion afterwards, you have committed a great sin. Read Part III. and speak to your Clergyman.

Before Confirmation.

My Father in Heaven: Thou hast been pleased to make me Thy child in Holy Baptism, and to give me Thy grace. I bless and glorify Thee for all that Thou hast done for me from the day of my Baptism until now. I desire to come to Confirmation, because it is Thy will and my

On the day of Confirmation don't think too much of your dress: let it be neat and plain. Be silent and thoughtful when you go to Church. Be careful to join in the service. Say "I do" clearly, and as if you meant it. Receive the lay-duty; but I mourn over my ing-on of hands with meekness and faith, bowing down your head in adoration. Remember that it is GOD that acts by the Bishop.

After Confirmation hear GOD's voice saying to you"Thou, therefore, My son,

sins, which have made me so unworthy of Thy favour. Grant, I pray Thee, most merciful Father, that, when I come to Confirmation, Thy Holy Spirit may give me strength to conquer my evil habits, to resist temptation,

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