The 1552 Book of Common Prayer: Confirmation & Catechism · The 1552 Book of Common Prayer: Preface & Of Ceremonies

The Book of Common Prayer

	The Book of Common Prayer - 1552

CONFIRMACION
WHEREIN IS CONTEYNED A CATECHISME FOR CHILDREN.
TO
the ende that Confirmacion maye be ministred to the more edifying of
such as shal receyve it (according unto saincte Paules doctrine, who
teaches that al thinges should be done in the Churche to the edificacion
of the same) it is thought good that none hereafter shalbe confirmed,
but such as can say in their mother tongue the articles of the fayth,
the Lord's prayer, and the x commaundements; And can also answere to
suche questions of this short Catechism, as the Bisshop (or such as
he shal appointe) shal by his discrecion appose [=examine]
them in. And this ordre is most conveniente to be observed for dyvers
consideracions.
First, because
that when children come to the yeres of discrecion, and have learned
what their godfathers and godmothers promised for them in baptisme,
they may then themselves with their own mouth, and with their own consent,
openly before the Churche, ratifie and confirme the same: and also promise
that by the grace of god they wil evermore endevoure themselfes faithfully
to observe and kepe suche thynges, as they by their owne mouth and confession
have assented unto.
Secondly, forasmuche
as Confirmacion is ministred to them that be Baptized, that by imposicion
of handes and Prayer they maye receyne strength and defence againste
all temptacions to sinne and the assaultes of the worlde, and the Devyll:
it is most mete to be ministred when children come to that age, that
partly by the frailtie of their own flesh, partly by the assaultes of
the world and the Devil, they begyn to be in daunger to fall into sondry
kindes of synne.
Thirdly, for
that it is agreable with the usage of the Churche in times past, whereby
it was ordeined that Confirmacion should be ministred to them that were
of perfect age [i.
e., adults], that thei being instructed in Christes religion,
shoulde openly Professe their owne fayth, and promise to be obedyent
unto the wyll of God.
And that noman
shal think that any detriment shall come to children by deferryng of
their Confirmacion; he shal knowe for truth, that it is certeyne by
Goddes woord, that children beyng baptysed, have al thynges necessary
for their salvacion, and be undoubtedly saved.
A CATECHISME,
THAT IS TO SAVE,
AN INSTRUCCION TO BE LEARNED OF EVERY CHYLD,
BEFORE HE BE BROUGHT TO BE CONFYRMED OF THE BISSHOPPE.
Question. What is your name?
Aunswere. N. or M.
Question. Who gave you
thys name?
Aunswere. My Godfathers
and Godmothers in my baptisme, wherein I was made a member of Christe,
the childe of god, and an inheritour of the kingdome of heaven.
Question. What dyd
your godfathers and godmothers then for you?
Aunswere. They did
promise and vowe three thinges in my name. First, that I should forsake
the devil and all his woorks and pompes, the vanities of the wycked
woride, and all the synfull lustes of the fleshe. Secondly, that I shoulde
believe al the articles of the christen fayth. And thirdly, that I shoulde
kepe Goddes holy wyll and commaundements, and walke in the same all
the dayes of my lyfe.
Question. Doest thou
not thinke that thou art bounde to beleve and to doe as they have promised
for thee?
Aunswere. Yes verely.
And by Gods helpe so I wyl. And I hertely thank our heavenly father,
that he hath called me to thys state of salvacion, through Jesus Christe
our saviour. And I pray god to geve me his grace, that I may continue
in the same unto my lyves ende.
Question. Rehearse
the articles of thy beliefe.
Aunswere. I beleve in god the
father almightie, maker of heaven and of earth. And in Jesus Chryst
hys onely sonne our lord. Which was conceyved of the holy gost, borne
of the vyrgin Mary. Suffred under Ponce Pilate, was crucyfyed, dead
and buried, he descended into hel. The thirde day he rose againe from
the dead. He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hande of
God the father almightie. From thence he shall come to judge the quicke
and the dead. I beleve in the holy gost. The holy Catholyke Churche.
The communion of Sainctes. The forgiveness of synnes. The resurreccion
of the bodye. And the lyfe everlastyng. Amen.
Question. What doest
thou chiefely learne in these articles of thy beliefe?
Aunswere. Firste I
learne to beleve in God the father, who hath made me and al the worlde.
Secondly, in god the sonne who hath redemed me and
all mankynde.
Thirdly, in god the holy gost, who sanctifieth me
and all the electe people of God.
Question. You sayed
that your godfathers and godmothers dyd promise for you that you should
kepe goddes commaundementes. Tel me how many there be.
Aunswere. Tenne.
Question. Whiche be
they?
Aunswere. The same
whiche God spake in the xx. Chapter of Exodus, saying: I am the lord
thy god which have brought thee out of the lande of Egipte, out of the
house of bondage.
I. Thou shalt have none other goddes but me.
II. Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven ymage,
nor the likeness of any thyng that is in heaven above, or in the earth
beneath, nor in the water under the yearth: thou shalte not bowe downe
to them, nor woorshippe them. For I the Lorde thy God am a gelous God,
and visite the synnes of the fathers upon the children, unto the thirde
and fourth generacion of them that hate me, and shew mercy unto thousandes
in them that love me, and kepe my commaundementes.
III. Thou shalt not take the name of the lord thy
god in vayne: for the Lard will not holde hym giltlesse that taketh
hys name in vayne.
IV. Remembre thou kepe holy the Sabboth daye. Sixe
dayes shalte thou laboure and doe all that thou hast to doe: but the
seventh daye is the Sabbath of the lorde thy God. In it thou shalte
doe no maner of worke, thou, and thy sonne and thy daughter, thy man
servaunt, and thy maide servaunt, thy catell, and the straunger that
is within thy gates: for in sixe dayes the Lorde made heaven and earth,
the Sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh daye. Wherefore
the lord blessed the seventh daye and halowed it.
V. Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy dayes
may be long in the lande which the lord thy god geveth thee.
VI. Thou shalt doe no murthur.
VII. Thou shalt not commit adulterye.
VIII. Thou shalt not steale.
IX. Thou shalt not bear false witnesse agaynste thy
neighbour.
X. Thou shalt not covite thy neighbour's house, thou
shalt not covite thy neighbour's wife, nor his servaunt, nor his maide,
nor his oxe, nor hys asse, nor any thyng that is hys.
Question. What doest
thou chieflye learne by these commaundementes?
Aunswere. I learne
two thinges: My duetie towardes God, and my duetie towardes my neighbour.
Question. What is thy duetie
towards god?
Answer. My duetie towards
god is, to beleve in hym, to feare [=revere]
hym, and to love hym with all my hearte, with all my mynde, with al
my soule, and with all my strength. To worship him. To geve him thankes.
To put my whole truste in him. To call upon him. To honoure his holy
name and his word, and to serve hym truely all the daies of my lyfe.
Question. What is thy
duetie towardes thy neyghbour?
Answer. My duetie towards
my neighboure is, to love hym as myself. And to doe to al men as I would
they should do unto me. To love, honour and succour my father and mother.
To honour and obey the kyng and hys ministers. To submit my self to
all my governours, teachers, spiritual Pastours, and maisters. To ordre
myself lowly and reverently to al my betters. To hurte no body by worde
nor dede. To be true and juste in al my dealynge. To beare no malice
nor hatred in my heart. To kepe my handes from pickyng and stealing,
and my tongue from evil speaking, lying, and slaunderyng. To kepe my
body in temperaunce, soberness, and chastitie. Not to covet nor desyre
other men's goodes. But learne and labour truly to geat myne owne living,
and to do my duetie in that state of lyfe, unto which it shall please
god to call me.
Question. My good chylde,
knowe this, that thou art not able to doe these thyngs of thy selfe,
nor to walke in the commaundementes of god, and to serve him, without
hys speciall grace, which thou must learne at all tymes to cal for by
diligent praier. Let me heare therefore if thou canst say the Lordes
prayer.
Aunswere. Our father,
which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kyngdome come. Thy wyll
be doen in earth as it is in heaven. Geve us thys daye our dayly bread.
And forgeve us oure trespasses, as we forgeve them that trespasse against
us. And leade us not into temptacyon. But delyver us from evill. Amen.
Question. What desirest
thou of god in thys prayer?
Aunswere. I desire
my Lord God oure heavenly father, who is the gever of all goodnes, to
send hys grace unto me and to al people, that we may worshyp him, serve
hym, and obey hym as we ought to doe. And I praye unto God, that he
wyll sende us all thynges that be nedeful both for our soules and bodyes:
And that he will be mercyful unto us, and forgeve us oure synnes: and
that it wyll please him to save and defende us in all daungers gostly
[=spiritually]
and bodyly. And that he will kepe us from all synne and wyckednes, and
from our gostly enemye, and from everlasting death. And thys I truste
he wyll doe of hys mercy and goadnes, through our lord Jesus Christ.
And therefore I saye, Amen. So be it.
¶
So sone as the children can say in theyr mother tongue the artycles
of the fayth, the Lordes prayer, the x Commaundementes: and also can
answer to such questions of this shorte Catechisme, as the Bisshop (or
such as he shal appoynt) shall by his discrecion appose [=examine]
them in: then shall they be broughte to the Bisshop by one that shalbe
hys Godfather, or Godmother, that every childe maye have a witnes of
his con firmacion.
¶
And the Bisshop shall confyrm them on this wise.
¶	First Page of the 1552 Confirmation
CONFIRMACYON.	Service
Our helpe is in the name of the Lard.
Aunswere. Which hath
made both heaven and earth.
Minister. Blessed is
the name of the Lard.
Aunswere. Hencefurth
world without ende.
Minister. Lord heare
our prayer.
Aunswere. And let out
crye come to thee.
Let
us praye.
ALMIGHTIE and everlivinge God,
who haste vouchesafed to regenerate these thy servaunts by water and
the holy gost, and hast geven unto them forgyvenes of all theyr synnes:
strengthen them, we beseche thee, (O Lord,) with the holy gost the comforter,
and daily encrease in them thy manifold giftes of grace, the spirite
of wisdome and understanding; the spirite of counsel and gostly strength,
the spirite of knowledge and true godlynes: and fulfil them, (O lord,)
with the spirit of thy holy feare. Amen.
Then the Bisshoppe shal laye hys hande upon every chylde severally,
saying,
DEFENDE,
O lord, this child with thy heavenly grace, that he may continue thine
for ever, and dayly encrease in thy holy spirite more and more, until
he come unto thy everlastyng kyngdom. Amen.
Then
shall the Bisshoppe saye.	Let us pray omitted in some printings
¶
Let us pray.
ALMIGHTIE
everliving God, whiche makeste us both to will and to doe those thyngs
that be good and acceptable unto thy Maiestie: we make oure humble
supplycacyons unto thee for these children, upon whom (after the
example of thy holy Apostles) we have layed our handes, to certifie
them (by thys sygne) of thy favoure and gracious goodnes towarde
them: lette thy fatherly hande we beseche thee ever be over them,
let thy holy spirite ever be with them, and so leade them in the
know ledge and obedience of thy woord, that in the ende they may
obteine the everlastyng lyfe, through our Lord Jesus Chryst, who
with thee and the holy goste, lyveth and reygneth one god, world
without ende. Amen.
Then
the Bisshoppe shall bless the children, thus saying.
THE
blessyng of god Almightie, the father, the sonne, and the holy goste,
be upon you, and remayne with you for ever. Amen.
The Curate of every Parishe, or some other at his appoynctmente, shall
diligently upon Sundaies, and holy doies halfe an hour before
Evensong, openly in the Churche instruct and examine so many
children of his parishe sente unto him, as the time wil serve,
and as he shal thinke convenient, in some parte of this Catechisme
And all Fathers, Mothers, Maisters, and Dames. shall cause theyr chyldren,
servaunts, and prentises (whiche hane not learned theyr Catechisme),
to come to the church at the time appoynted, and obediently to
heare and be ordered by the Curate, until such time as they have
learned all that is here appointed for them to learne. And whensoever
the Bisshop shall geve knowledge for children to be brought afore
him to any convenient place, for theyr confirmacion: Then shall
the Curate of every parish either bryng, or send in writing,
the names of al those children of his parishe which can say the
Articles of their fayth, the Lordes praier, and the x commaundementes:
and also howe many of them can aunswere to thother questions
conteined in this Catechisme.
And there shal none be admitted to the holy Communion, until suche
tyme as he can saye the Catechisme, and bee confirmed.

Return to the 1552 Book of Common Prayer

Web author: Charles	U.
Wohlers	S. •
	England • Scotland
	• Ireland • Wales
	• Canada • World