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Order of Contents
Right Use of 3
Romanist 5
Anglican 6+
Baptist 4
Latin 8
Biblio 1
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On the Right Use of Confirmation
Order of Contents
Quote 1
Historical 2
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Quote
1600’s
Richard Baxter
The English Nonconformity as under King Charles II & King James II Truly Stated & Argued (1683; London: Parkhurst, 1689), pp. 11, 14-15 The preface is dated 1683.
“But those [leading presbyterian and congregationalist ministers] that were called by the king, and one another, 1660 and 1661, to treat of concord, and that assembled at Sion College, and elsewhere about it, did openly make known their minds: And I think they meddled not against any of these things following, by any accusation of them as sinful:
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XXXI. We are so far from being against true confirmation, as it is the taking persons that own their baptismal covenant solemnly into the number of adult members and communicants, that we desire it (and have written for it) as a chief means of the true reformation of all our churches in the land.”
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Historical
On the Post-Reformation
Quotes
On Bucer
Steven Wedgeworth, ‘Martin Bucer: The Ecumenical Reformer’, p. 3
“The Anabaptists were a constant threat, and though Bucer [in Strasbourg] had no patience for their separatism, he was open to some of their views concerning the church and sacraments. Under this influence, Bucer instituted the rite of confirmation, wherein children, upon reaching the age of reason, confirmed their faith, had hands laid on them by the pastor, and received their first communion. This rite, it was believed, helped to reduce hypocrisy among the membership.”
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Richard Muller
Dictionary of Greek & Latin Theological Terms
“confirmatio: confirmation; a rite of the church viewed by the medieval doctors and by the Roman Catholic Church as a sacrament, but denied sacramental status by the Reformers and the Protestant scholastics on the ground that it does not rest on a command of God (see sacramentum).
Nevertheless, both the Lutheran and Reformed orthodox view confirmatio, rightly conceived and performed, as a useful and edifying support of piety. Children baptized in infancy should receive formal instruction in the faith when they have reached an age of discretion. After this instruction they may come publicly before the bishop or pastor in order to make a profession of faith and receive the support of the church’s prayers and of the nonsuperstitious laying-on of hands.
Such a rite coincides with the teaching of Scripture and the ancient custom of the Church. Since, moreover, it is an act of piety and edification and not a sacrament or means of grace, the Protestant scholastics note that it is in no way a completion of baptism.”
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On Romanist Confirmation
Articles
1500’s
Calvin, John
13. ‘Of the Five Other Ceremonies falsely called Sacraments, that is, Confirmation, Penance, Extreme Unction, Ecclesiastical Orders, and Marriage’ in Institutes of the Christian Religion: 1541 French Edition tr. Elsie A. McKee (1541; Eerdmans, 2009), pp. 584-617
Antidote to the Canons on Confirmation in Acts of the Council of Trent with the Antidote (1547)
Beza, Theodore – Ch. 7, 11. Of Confirmation in A Brief & Pithy Sum of the Christian Faith made in Form of a Confession (London, 1565)
Willet, Andrew – 16. ‘Of Confirmation, Orders, Extreme Unction’ in Synopsis Papismi, that is, ‘A General View of Papistry’ (1592), Controversies of the 5 Other Popish Sacraments, pp. 540-53
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1600’s
Attersoll, William – ch. 17, ‘That Confirmation is Not a Sacrament’ in The Badges of Christianity, or a Treatise of the Sacraments Fully Declared out of the Word of God… (London, 1606), bk. 1, pp. 82-84
Anon. – ‘Their Errors Concerning Confirmation’ in The Anatomy of Popery, or a Catalogue of Popish Errors in Doctrine & Corruptions in Worship, Together with the Agreement between Paganism, Pharisaism & Popery (London, 1673), ch. 1, pp. 139-43
Turretin, Francis – Institutes (P&R), vol. 3, 19th Topic, ‘The Sacraments’
10. ‘Is a mark (i.e., a spiritual and indelible sign) impressed upon the soul in the three sacraments, baptism, confirmation and order? We deny against the Romanists.’ 375
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On Anglican Confirmation
Against
Quotes
1500’s
Thomas Cartwright
On Mt. 19, section 9, quoted in George Gillespie, English-Popish Ceremonies (1637), pt. 3, ch. 6, p. 95
“And as touching this blessing of children and imposition of hands upon them, it is peculiar unto our Savior Christ: used neither by his disciples, nor his apostles, either before or after his ascension. Whereunto makes that the children being brought, that He should pray over them, He did not pray for them, but blessed them, that is to say commended them to be blessed, thereby to shew his divine power. These being also yet infants, and in their swaddling clothes, as by the Word which the Evangelist uses, and as by our Savior Christs taking them into his arms, does appear; being also in all likelihood unbaptized.
Last of all, their confirmation is a notable derogation unto the holy sacrament of baptism, not alone in that it presumes the sealing of that which was sealed sufficiently by it: but also in that both by asseveration of words; and by specialty of the minister that gives it, it is even preferred unto it.”
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1600’s
George Gillespie
A Dispute Against the English-Popish Ceremonies… (1637), pt. 3, ch. 4, p. 51-52
“The same kind of operative virtue is ascribed to the ceremony of confirmation or bishopping. For the English Service Book teaches that by it children receive strength against sin, and against tentation. And [Richard] Hooker has told us, that albeit the successors of the apostles had but only for a time such power as by prayer and imposition of hands to bestow the Holy Ghost, yet confirmation has continued hitherto for very special benefits; and that the Fathers impute everywhere unto it that gift or grace of the Holy Ghost, not which makes us first Christian men, but when we are made such, assists us in all virtue, arms us against tentation and sin.
Moreover, whiles he is a showing why this ceremony of confirmation was separated from baptism, having been long joined with it, one of his reasons which he gives for the separation is that sometimes the parties who received baptism were infants, at which age they might well be admitted to live in the family, but to fight in the army of God, to bring forth the fruits and to do the works of the Holy Ghost, their time of ability was not yet come, which implies that by confirmation men receive this ability, else there is no sense in that which he says. What is idolatry if this be not to ascribe to rites of man’s devising the power and virtue of doing that which none but he to whom all power in heaven and earth belongs, can do?
And howbeit Hooker would strike us dead at once with the high-sounding name of the Fathers, yet it is not unknown that the first Fathers from whom this idolatry has descended were those ancient heretics, the Montanists, for as [Martin] Chemnitius marks out of Tertullian and Cyprian, the Montanists were the first who began to ascribe any spiritual efficacy or operation to rites and ceremonies devised by men.”
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Articles
1500’s
Cartwright, Thomas
‘To the next section in the 197th page’ in A Reply to an Answer made of Mr. Doctor Whitgift Against the Admonition to the Parliament (1573), pp. 199-200
2nd Part, ch. 4, 2nd Part, ‘Of Confirmation of Children & Women’s Churching’ in The Rest of the Second Reply of Thomas Cartwright Against Master Doctor Whitgift’s Second Answer Touching the Church Discipline (Basel, 1577), pp. 232-34
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1600’s
Calderwood, David
Perth Assembly... ([Leiden, 1619]), pp. 87-95
“Imposition of hands used in so diverse actions, civil and religious, was no sacrament… it was only a simple rite and sign of limitation or restraint, specifying or setting forth the party on whom we desire God to pour his blessing: that is, it was only an indicant [indicator] and demonstrative sign of the person on whom the blessing was poured, and not a significant or declarative sign of the blessing or grace itself bestowed…
The confession of Wirtemburg has these words, ‘Of a temporal and personal fact of the apostles, a general and perpetual sacrament cannot be ordained in the Kirk without a special command of God.’” – p. 87
“The gesture of imposition of hands other reformed Kirks, and ours also, have omitted [in praying for youth being admitted to the Table]: because it was a rite indifferent: for it was but an indicant sign of the person admitted: and because it has been, and is still abused to make up a bastard sacrament, the sacrament of confirmation, which we have condemned, not only in the [Scottish] Confession of Faith, but also in the [2nd] Confession of Helvetia approved in the general assembly [of the Church of Scotland] holden at Edinburgh, anno 1566.” – p. 89
“Is not the Lord’s Supper the true sacrament of confirmation of our faith, as well as confirmation of charity?” – p. 91
‘Of Confirmation’ in A Re-Examination of the Five Articles Enacted at Perth, Anno 1618… ([Holland?] 1636), pp. 209-221
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For Anglican Confirmation
Hall, Joseph – Cheirothesia, or, A Confirmation of the Apostolical Confirmation of Children, Setting forth the Divine Ground, End & Use of that too much neglected Institution… (London, 1651) 84 pp.
Hall was a reformed Anglican and divine right episcopalian.
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On Ministers being Required to Reject all from the Supper who are not Episcopally Confirmed
Article
1600’s
Baxter, Richard – ch. 19, ‘Of Consenting to Reject All from Communion who Desire Not our Episcopal Confirmation’ in The English Nonconformity as under King Charles II & King James II Truly Stated & Argued (1683; London: Parkhurst, 1689), pp. 97-102
Baxter argues that this requirement of the post-1662 Anglican Church was sinful.
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Baptist Works for a Baptist Confirmation of Believers
1600’s
Chamberlain, Peter – A Discourse Between Captain Kiffin & Dr. Chamberlain about Imposition of Hands (London, 1654)
The context of this document appears to have been amongst the sects in London during the mid-1650’s. The parties distinguish themselves from the presbyterians. They also mention that they at one time had discarded baptism (as some of the sects had done), though no longer. (p. 1)
Chamberlain argues for the imposition of hands in prayer with regard to all baptized believers, as a sort of confirmation, associated with the giving of the Holy Ghost. Kiffin argues against it.
Grantham, Thomas
Grantham (1634-1692) was an English general baptist.
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Latin
1500’s
Szegedin Pannonius, Stephan – 3. ‘Of Popish Doctrine’, ‘Confirmation’ in Common Places of Pure Theology, of God & Man, Explained in Continuous Tables & the Dogma of the Schools Illustrated (Basil, 1585/93), p. 485
The work is in the form of outlines. Szegedin (1515-1572) also was known as Stephan Kis.
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1600’s
Pareus, David – 22. ‘Of the Sacrament of Baptism & of Confirmation’ in Collection 9, ’40 Disputations on the Controversies of the Jesuit Cardinal, Robert Bellarmine’ in Theological Collections of Universal Orthodox Theology, where also All of the Present Theological Controversies are Clearly and Variously Explained (1611/1620), vol. 2, pp. 503-10
Pareus (1548-1622)
Hommius, Festus – 46. ‘Confirmation’ in 70 Theological Disputations Against Papists (Leiden, 1614), pp. 277-81
Alsted, Johann Heinrich – ‘Baptism & Confirmation’ in Polemical Theology, Exhibiting the Principal Eternal Things of Religion in Navigating Controversies (Hanau, 1620; 1627) Alsted (1588-1638), pp. 475-83
Chamier, Daniel
bk. 4, ‘Of the Number of the Sacraments, of Confirmation, of Penance, of Extreme Unction, of Ordination, of Marriage’ in Panstratiae Catholicae, or a Body of the Controversies of Religion Against the Papists, vol. 4 (Sacraments) (Frankfurt, 1627-1629), pp. 69-115
‘On Confirmation’ in A Body of Theology, or Theological Common Places (Geneva, 1653) Chamier (1564–1621), bk. 7, ch. 9, pp. 388-89
Voet, Gisbert – (2) ‘On Confirmation’ in Syllabus of Theological Problems (Utrecht, 1643), pt. 1, section 2, tract 5, ‘Of the Number of the Sacraments’, Appendix, Many Absurd & Inept Questions on the 5 False Sacraments Abbr.
Revius, Jacobus – 331 Disputations of Compendious Theology, vol. 2 (1649), no page numbers
172. Of False Sacraments, the first part, which is of Confirmation
173. The second part, which is of Confirmation, the next part
Revius (1586-1658)
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1700’s
Heidegger, Johann Heinrich – 59. ‘Of the Spurious Sacraments, even of Confirmation’ in The Marrow of Christian Theology: an Introductory Epitome of the Body of Theology (Zurich, 1713), ch. 25, ‘Of External Worship…’
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Bibliography
Article
1800’s
Malcom, Howard – ‘Confirmation’ in Theological Index... (Boston, 1868), p. 120
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