02- Order For Public Reception Into Full

ORDER PUBLIC RECEPTION INTO FULL OR CONFIRMED COMMUNION OF THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN BAPTIZED IN INFANCY. f The Candidates standing before the Minisfer.], WE, the pastor and people of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, to you who. with Timothy, are beloved children and heirs of the Church, grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

We thank God that without ceasing we have had remembrance of you in our pray ers, greatly desiring to see your souls pros per and be in health, being persuaded that the unfeigned faith which dwelt in your parents and guardians would be granted to you also.

While others have attained this freedom at a great cost, you were free-born, being brought into the Church by birth, and sealed by baptism the seal of the covenant in your infancy. The profit of your church-mem bership has been much, every way. You have inherited the benefits of the new and better covenant, not only the giving of the 10 ORDER FOR PUBLIC RECEPTION. 37 law and the promises, but the finished work of Christ, the dispensation of the Holy Ghost, the completed oracles of God, the nurture of the Christian family, and the prayers, instruc tion and discipline of the Christian Church.

Having been duly instructed in the doc trine of the inspired Wordj and having con fessed your personal faith before the Session of this churchy you now, before God and his people, acknowledge the truth of the doc trines accepted in common by the great body of evangelical Christians.

You renew and publicly ratify the cove nant of discipleship which your parents or guardians sealed upon you in your baptism.

You take God the Father to be your Fa ther; God the incarnate Son to be your Prophet, your Priest and your King; and God the Holy Ghost to be your Sanctifier and Comforter.

You take the word of God to be your rule of faith and conduct, and the people of God to be your people.

You promise, with the assistance of divine grace, to continue in the maintenance of this faith, and the performance of all the duties which flow therefrom, in the diligent use of 18 MANUAL OF FORMS. the means of grace, in subjection to the con stituted authorities of this church, and ID the peace and love and mutual edification of the brethren.

Answer: 1 do.

I give you charge, then, beloved, in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Jesus Christ, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession, that you keep this covenant, without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the name of the Church, and of Jesus Christ her Lord and Head, I now welcome you to full communion with the people of God. The mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not de part from you, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on you. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

AMEN. f The Minister may then offer a prayer, as follows, or in like manner:], Heavenly Father, we thank thee that thoii ORDER FOR PUBLIC RECEPTION. 19 hast from the beginning embraced in thy covenant the children together with their parents. We thank thee that thou didst cast the lot of tnese thy servants in the Christian Church from the first, and didst grant them all the manifold blessings of Christian cul ture. We bless thee that thou didst in their case add the special grace of thy Holy Spirit, so that of thek- own wills they Gomeliere to day to confess thy truth and to consecrate “ “their- li^es to thy service. We earnestly be seech thee that thou wilt continue to carry on the good work thou hast commenced in ^ them unto the day of complete redemption.

Increase in tEem daily the manifold gifts of thy grace, the spirit of wisdom and under standing, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. Grant them the happiness of promoting the glory of their Lord and the edification of his people. Deliver them in the temptations of this life and in the extreme trial of death. And in that day when thou makest up thy jewels set these thy servant^ also in thy crown, that they may shine as stars, to thy praise, for ever and ever. AMEN.

20 MANUAL OF FORMS.

NOTES. fl “ Children born within the pale of the visible Church, and dedicated to God in baptism, are under the inspection and government of the Church; and are to be taught to read and repeat the Catechism, the Apostles Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer. They are to be taught to pray, to ab hor sin, to fear God, and to obey the Lord Jesus Christ. And when they come to years of discretion, if they be free from scandal, appear sober and steady, and to have suffi cient knowledge to discern the Lord’s body, they ought to be informed it is their duty and privilege to come to the Lord’s Supper.” Directory for Worship, ch. 9:1.

T “ The years of discretion in young Christians cannot be precisely fixed. This must be left to the prudence of the eldership. The officers of the Church are the judges of the qualifications of those to be admitted to sealing ordinances, and of the time when it is proper to admit young Christians to them, who shall be examined as tc their knowledge and piety.” Directory for Worship, ch. ix, \\ ii, iii.

\ In the Presbyterian Church all applicants for ad mission to full communion, whether baptized in infancy and therefore members of the Church, or not, are ad mitted thereto only by the Session, to whom they make a credible profession of their faith. But it is the custom in many congregations, and is eminently fitting, for the new communicant, whose incomplete church-membership is now confirmed, to profess his faith and renew his vows in the presence of all the brotherhood. And it is especially ilesirable that the Confirmation, or admission to full cmnmunion, of baptized church-members should be kept entirely teparate from the faptism of Adults who have hitherto been ORDER FOR PUBLIC RECEFi lOlN. 21 aliens from all church relations, which is altogether a different ordinance.

1f “ It was anciently customary for the children of Chris tians, after they had grown up, to appear before the chief pastor and people to fulfill that duty which was required of such adults as presented themselves for baptism. The infants, therefore, who had been initiated by baptism, not having then given a confession of faith to the Church, were again, toward the end of their boyhood or on adoles cence, brought forward by their parents, and were exam ined by the pastor in terms of the Catechism which was then in common use. In order that this act, which other wise justly required to be grave and holy, might have more reverence and dignity, the ceremony of laying on of hands was used.” Calvin’s Institutes, bk. iv, ch. 19:4.

Then, having argued against the papal and prelatical perversion of this primitive rite, Calvin says: “I wish we could retain the custom (Confirmation) which, as I have observed, existed in the early Church before this abortive mask of a sacrament appeared.” Institutes, bk. iv, ch. xix. 12, 13.

*[ “ It is a great mistake, therefore, to represent Con firmation aa a prelatical service. In one form or another it is the necessary sequence of Infant Baptism and must be adopted wherever pedobaptism prevails.”...” Con firmation, as a solemn service, in which those recognized in their infancy as members of the Church on the faith of their parents are confirmed in their church standing on the profession of their own faith, is retained in form or in substance in all Protestant churches.” Dr. Charles Hodge, Princeton Review, 1855, p. 445; Church Polity, pp, 157:158.