e groups:--

(I) _The Sacrament of Completion_ (Confirmation, which completes the
Sacrament of Baptism).

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(II) The Sacraments of Perpetuation (Holy Matrimony, which perpetuates
the human race; and Holy Order, which perpetuates the Christian
Ministry).

(III) The Sacraments of Recovery (Penance, which recovers the sick soul
together with the body; and Unction, which recovers the sick body
together with the soul).

And, first, The Sacrament of Completion: Confirmation.

[1] Article XXV.

[2] The Homily on the Sacraments calls them the "other
Sacraments"--i.e. in addition to Baptism and the Eucharist.

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CHAPTER VIII.

CONFIRMATION.

(I) What it is not.
(II) What it is.
(III) Whom it is for.
(IV) What is essential.

(I) WHAT IT IS NOT.

Confirmation is not the renewal of vows. The renewal of vows is the
final part of the _preparation_ for Confirmation. It is that part of
the preparation which takes place in public, as the previous
preparation has taken place in private. Before Confirmation, the
Baptismal vows are renewed "openly before the Church". Their renewal
is the last word of preparation. The Bishop, or Chief Shepherd,
assures himself by question, and answer, that the Candidate openly
responds to the preparation he has received in {95} private from the
Parish Priest, or under-Shepherd. Before the last revision of the
Prayer Book, the Bishop asked the Candidates in public many questions
from the Catechism before confirming them; now he only asks one--and
the "I do," by which the Candidate renews his Baptismal vows, is the
answer to that preparatory question.

It is still quite a common idea, even among Church people, that
Confirmation is something which the Candidate does for himself, instead
of something which God does to him. This is often due to the
unfortunate use of the word "confirm"[1] in the Bishop's question. At
the time it was inserted, the word "confirm" meant "confess,"[2] and
referred, not to the Gift of Confirmation, but to the Candidate's
public Confession of faith, before receiving the Sacrament of
Confirmation. It had nothing whatever to do with Confirmation itself.
We must not, then, confuse the preparation for Confirmation with the
Gift of Confirmation. The Sacrament itself is God's gift to the child
bestowed through the Bishop in accordance with the teaching given to
{96} the God-parents at the child's Baptism: "Ye are to take care that