HINTS FOR THE DAY OF CONFIRMATION. As the day of your confirmation is one of the most important in your life, and, if it be rightly used, may be one of the most blessed of all your days on earth, let me give you a few hints which by God's grace may help you to spend it rightly to the profit of your immortal soul. 1. And first of all, get up early; rise before your usual time, that you may be able to give yourself to prayer. On such a day you need more than common prayer, as you are about to do a more than common act. Get then more time for prayer by rising earlier. You can pray in your own room; no one need see you; it is better to be quite by yourself and to pray alone; God hears you in secret; your Saviour is close to you, and delights to see the young ones of His flock thus preparing themselves for so holy an act as their Confirmation. 2. If you want some help as to the subject of your prayers, I would advise you, first, to pray that all your sins done since your baptism may be forgiven you for Christ's sake. 2. Pray God to enable you to come to your Confirmation in a sincere and serious spirit, in a very earnest and religious frame of mind, that you may not lose God's gift from want of godly sincerity and seriousness. 3. Pray that all light, foolish, or evil thoughts that day may be driven out. 4. Pray that the Holy Ghost may fall on you when the bishop's hands are laid upon your head, that the grace given in baptism may be strengthened and confirmed. 5. Pray that a blessing may rest upon the bishop who is your father in God. 6. Pray that a serious spirit may be given to all who are confirmed with you, and that the Holy Ghost may come to them to confirm and strengthen them in the ways of Christ. These are good things to pray for at such a time. 3. If you have any thing which you are obliged to do before you set out for Church, try and think about the things of God while you are at work; think of heaven and hell, of death and judgment, of the love of Christ in dying upon the cross. Avoid as much as possible over-much talking; keep yourself to yourself as much as you can, till it is time to get ready for Church. If you have no work to do, then you can take the Bible or some other good book and read; this will help you to keep good things in your mind. 4. Get ready in plenty of time, so that you may not be hurried and flurried at last; and, if you can, run up into your room and offer up one hearty, fervent prayer before you start. 5. Be very, very careful how you behave on your road to Church. If you have your own parents or godfathers to go with, then I trust they will take care not to talk of worldly things. If you are far away from them, then it is best, when it can be done, to go alone to Church, or to choose some godly and serious friend. Go quietly; talk little and think much on your way; let your heart be with God; weigh well how solemn a thing you are about to do, and how strictly you will have to answer for it in the day of judgment. Avoid going in a crowd or with many others; for though your companions may begin by wishing to be serious, yet, if there are many of them, they will soon begin to talk, and as the talking goes on it will get less and less serious, and at last perhaps there may be mirth, and laughter, and noise, which do not suit the day. Sometimes I know a young person cannot go alone and cannot choose his companions, but is compelled to go with many others. In such a case you must do the |