will be needful for your fupport and orderly growth in every virtue of a Chriftian life.

And now, the Impofition of hands being finished, the Bishop and Congregation mutually recommend each other to God, and return to fuch joint and public devotions as are suitable to the folemnity. The firft of thefe is the Lord's Prayer: a form feasonable always, but peculiarly now; as every petition in it will fhow to every one who confiders it. In the next place, more especial fupplications are poured forth, for the perfons particularly concerned, to him who alone can enable them both to will and to do what is good; that, as the hand of his minifter hath been laid upon them, fo his fatherly hand may ever be over them, and lead them in the only way; the knowledge and obedience of his word, to everlasting life. After this, a more general prayer is offered up for them and the rest of the congregation together, that God would vouchfafe, unworthy as we all are, fo to direct and govern both our hearts and bodies, our inclinations and actions, (for neither will fuffice without the other) in the ways of his laws, and in the works of his commandments, that, through his most mighty protection, both here and ever, we may be preserved in body and foul: having the former, in his good time, raised up from the dead, and the latter made happy, in conjunction with it, to all eternity.

These requests being thus made, it only remains, that all be difmiffed with a folemn bleffing: which will certainly abide with you, unless, by wilful fin or grofs negligence, you drive it away. And in that cafe, you must not hope, that your baptifm, or your confirmation, or the prayers of the bishop, or the church, or the whole world, will do you any service. On the contrary, every thing which you might have been the better for, if you had made a good ufe of it, you will be the worse for, if you make a bad one. You do well to renew the covenant of your baptifm in confirmation: but, if you break it, you forfeit the benefit of it. You do well to repeat your vows in the facrament of the Lord's Supper: it is what all Chriftians are commanded to do by their dying Saviour, for the ftrengthening and refreshing of their fouls: it is what I beg all, who are confirmed, will remember, and their friends and minifters remind them of; the fooner they are prepared for it, the happier; and by stopping short, the benefit of what

preceded

preceded will be loft. But if you are admitted to this privi lege also, and live wickedly, you do but eat and drink your own condemnation. So that all depends on a thoroughly honeft care of your hearts and behaviour in all refpects.

Not that, with our best care, we can avoid fmaller faults. And if we intreat pardon for them in our daily prayers, and faithfully strive against them, they will not be imputed to us. But grofs and habitual fins we may avoid, through. God's help; and if we fall into them, we fall from our title to falvation at the fame time. Yet even then our case is not defperate; and let us not make it fo, by thinking it is; for, thro' the grace of the gofpel, we may ftill repent and amend, and then be forgiven. But I beg you to obferve, that, as continued health is vaftly preferable to the happiest recovery from fickness; fo is innocence to the trueft repentance. If we fuffer ourselves to tranfgrefs our duty; God knows whether we fhall have time to repent; God knows whether we shall have a heart to do it. At beft we fhall have loft, and more than loft, the whole time that we have been going back; whereas we have all need to prefs forwards, as fast as we can. Therefore let the innocent of wilful fin preserve themselves fo with the greatest circumfpection; and the faulty return from their errors without delay. Let the young enter upon the way of righteousness with hearty refolution; and those of riper age perfevere in it to the end. In a word, let us all, of every age, feriously confider, and faithfully practife, the obligations of religion. For the vows of God are still upon us, how long foever it be fince they were first made, either by us, or for us; and it is in vain to forget what he will affuredly remember; or hope to be safe in neglecting what he expects us to do. But let us ufe proper diligence; and he will infallibly give us proper affiftance, and confirm us all unto the end, that we may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jefus Chrift.

Now unto him, who is able to keep us from falling, and to prefent us faultless before the prefence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wife God, our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen 1.