I have to tell you that there will be a confirmation held at . . . on the . . .  All persons of fit age who have not yet been confirmed ought to be ready, and I hope and trust that most of them will be ready, on that day to profess publicly their faith and loyalty to the Lord who died for them.  I hope and trust that they will, as soon as possible, tell me that they intend to do so, and come to me to talk over the matter, and to learn what I can teach them about it.  They will find in me, I hope, nothing but kindness and fellow-feeling.

But I have not only to tell young persons of the Confirmation:  I have to tell all godfathers and godmothers of it also.  Have any of you here ever stood godfather or godmother to any young person in this parish who is not yet confirmed?  If you have, now is the time for you to fulfil your parts as sponsors.  You must help me, and help the children’s parents, in bringing your godchildren to confirmation.  It really is your duty.  It will be better for you if you fulfil it.  Better for you, not merely by preventing a punishment, but by bringing a blessing.  Let me try to show you what I mean.

Now godparents must have some duty, some responsibility or other;—­ that is plain.  If you or I promise and vow things in another person’s name, we must be bound more or less to see that that other person fulfils the promise which we made for him:  and so the baptism service warns the sponsors as soon as the child is christened, ‘Forasmuch as this child has promised,’ &c.; and then we have a plain explanation of what a godfather and godmother’s duties are.  ‘And that your godchild may know these things the better,’ &c.:  and finally, ’you shall take care that this child be brought to the bishop to be confirmed.’

That is the duty of godfathers and godmothers.  Those who stand for any child do it on that understanding, and take upon themselves knowingly that duty.

Now, I will not threaten you, my friends; I will not pretend to tell you how God will punish those godfathers and godmothers who do not do their duty; because I do not know how he will punish them.  He has not told us in the Bible; and who am I, to deal out God’s thunders as if they belonged to me, and judge people of whose real merits and dements in God’s sight I have no fair means of judging?  I always dread and dislike threatening any sinner out of this pulpit, except those who plainly break the plain laws which are written in those Ten Commandments, and hypocrites:  because I stand in awe of our Lord’s own words—­’Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye bind heavy burdens, and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders, while you yourselves touch them not with one of your fingers.’  There is too much of that now-a-days, my friends, and I have no mind to add my share to it.  And sure I am, that any godfathers and godmothers who do their duty, only because they are afraid that God