and practised by all the succeeding ages of the purest and primitive church. Next, he contends that the bishops were always, and the only ministers of Confirmation; and that the whole procedure or ritual of Confirmation is by prayer and imposition of hands. That many graces and blessings are consequent to the worthy reception and due ministry of this rite; and lastly, he treats of the necessary preparation and circumstances of receiving it.

The style of this treatise is closer and less florid than many of his other writings; but the same command of learning is every where conspicuous. He brings out of his inexhaustible treasury "things new and old," and applies them with irresistible persuasion. Drawn by his hand the cause of youth arrests our attention and demands our care. Who can read the following passage without the most lively interest?

"The use that I make of this notion is principally, to be an exhortation to all of "the clergy, that they take great care to cate"chise all their people, to bring up children "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, "to prepare a holy seed for the service of

"God, to cultivate the young plants and to "dress the old ones, to take care that those "who are men in the world be not mere babes "and uninstructed in Christ, and that they "who are children in age may be wise unto salvation for by for by this means this means we shall "rescue them from early temptations, when being so prepared they are so assisted

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by a divine ministry; we shall weaken "the devil's power, by which he too "often and too much prevails upon unin"structed and unconfirmed youth. For

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μύρον της βεβαίωσις ὁμολογίας Confirmation is the "firmament of our profession; but we pro"fess nothing till we be catechized. Ca "techizings are our best preachings, and by "them we shall give the best accounts of our charges, while in the behalf of Christ we "make disciples, and take prepossession of infant-understandings, and by this holy rite, by prayer and imposition of hands, we mini"ster the Holy Spirit to them, and so prevent

and disable the artifices of the devil'; for "we are not ignorant of his devices, how he "enters as soon as he can, and taking advan86 tage of their ignorance and their passion, "seats himself so strongly in their hearts and "heads.

Turpiùs ejicitur quam non admittitur "hostis." It is harder to cast the devil out "than to keep him out. Hence it is that the

youth are so corrupted in their manners, so "devilish in their natures, so cursed in their conversation, so disobedient to parents, so wholly given to vanity and idleness; they "learn to swear before they can pray, and to "lie as soon as they can speak.

"It is not my sense alone, but was long since observed by Gerson and Gulielmus "Parisiensis, Propter cessationem confirm"ationis tepiditas grandior est in fidelibus, et

fidei defensione"; there is a coldness and "deadness in religion, and it proceeds from "the neglect of confirmation rightly minis

tered, and after due preparations and dis

positions. A little thing will fill a child's "head: teach them to say their prayers, tell "them the stories of the life and death of "Christ, cause them to love the holy Jesus "with their first love, make them afraid of "sin; let the principles which God hath "planted in their very creation, the natural

Turpius ejicitur quum non admittitur hospes. Ovid Tristium, lib. 5. el. 6. v. 13.

De exterminat. schism.

"principles of justice and truth, of honesty "and thankfulness, of simplicity and obe"dience be brought into act, and habit, and "confirmation by the holy sermons of the "gospel. If the guides of souls would have "their people holy, let them teach holiness "to their children, and then they will (at least) have a new generation unto God, "better than this wherein we now live. They "who are most zealous in this particular will "with most comfort reap the fruit of their

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labours, and the blessings of their ministry; "and by the numbers which every curate "presents to his bishop fitted for confirmation, "he will in proportion render an account of "his stewardship with some visible felicity.'

On the 16th of July, in the year 1663, he was requested to perform the solemn office of preaching at the funeral of that great prelate Dr. John Bramhall, Archbishop of Armagh, and primate; from whose hands he had received consecration. The duty thus

i EvμBohor Eohoyixov; of confirmation, p. 31. In the year 1662 the sermons which Taylor had preached and published since the Restoration, "being eleven in num" ber,” were printed under the title of “ Δεκασ Εμβολιμαίος " a supplement to the Emavros."

reposed in him he filled with his accustomed ability: choosing first to dwell upon the doctrine of the Resurrection, and afterwards to introduce a well drawn character of the distinguished person whose obsequies he was then performing; whom he represents as "a wise prelate, a learned doctor, a just "man, a true friend, a great benefactor to

others, a thankful beneficiary where he was ἐσ obliged himself. That he was a faithful "servant to his master, a loyal subject to the "king, a zealous asserter of his religion against popery on the one side, and fana"ticism on the other. The practice of his

religion was not so much in forms and exἐσ terior ministeries, though he was a great "observer of all the public rites and minis*teries of the church, as it was in doing "good for others. He was like * Myson,

whom the Scythian Anacharsis so greatly "praised, 'O μúov v dixov dixnoai xadws, he go"verned his family well, he gave to all their "due of maintenance and duty; he did great "benefit to mankind; he had the fate of the apostle St. Paul, he passed through evil report and good report, as a deceiver and

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* See Maximius Tyrius Diss. 31. Ed. Davisii. Sect. 1.