"Apostolical Work": a 1693 Confirmation sermon

In 1693, Philip Stubbs - then a curate in the Diocese of London, later Archdeacon of St. Albans - was invited to preached at a Confirmation by Compton, Bishop of London (see the account of the sermon provided here ). The sermon was entitled ' Of the Laying on of Hands: A Sermon Upon the Holy Office of Confirmation According to the Order of the Church of England '. It was immediately published and was republished a number of times thereafter. The fourth edition in 1717 was published "at the command" of the then Bishop of London, Robinson. In other words, the sermon can be taken to be representative of late 17th and early 18th century thought in the Church of England on the Rite of Confirmation. The dedication of the fourth edition expressed the hope that it would be a blessing to "upon all those who shall use it" in the "Apostolical Work" of "Confirming the Churches". This emphasis on the apostolic nature of Confirmation is central to ...