And we are brought to His bishops, to be
received as free, reasonable, Christian people, to claim our
citizenship in the kingdom of God. Is that nothing? Yet that, too,
is nothing with three-fourths of us. Nothing? Hear me, young
people--as I have often told you--you are ready enough to excuse
yourselves from your confirmation vows, by saying you were not
taught to understand them--were not taught how to put them into
practice. That may be true, or it may not; your sin is just the
same. No one with any common honesty or common sense could answer
as you have to the bishop's questions at confirmation, without
knowing that you did make a promise, and knowing well enough what
you promised--and you who carried to confirmation a careless heart
and a lying tongue, have only yourselves to blame for it!--But to
proceed. Is not Christ present, or ready to be present, with us?
Sunday after Sunday, for years, have not the churches been opened
all around us, inviting us to enter and worship Christ, knowing that
where two or three are gathered together, there is Christ in the
midst of them. Is that nothing? This Creed--these Lessons--these
prayers, which Sunday after Sunday you have used;--are they nothing?
Are they not all proofs that the kingdom of God is come to you, and
means whereby you can behave like children of the kingdom? And not
on Sundays alone.
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