A Golden Chain, Section 19
The 19 point. Of the efficacie of the sacraments.
Our Consent.
Conclus. I. We teach and beleeue that the sacraments are signes to represent Christ with his benefits vntounto vsus.
Conclus. II. We teach further; that the Sacraments are indeede instruments, whereby God offereth and giueth the foresaid benefits vntounto vsus. Thus farre we consent with the Romane Church.
The difference.
The difference betweene vsus standes in sundrie points. First of all, the best learned among them teach, that sacraments are phisicall instruments, that is, true and proper instrumentall causes, hauing force and efficacie in them to produce and giuegive grace.Bellar. de Sacr. l. 2. c. …1. They vse to expresse their meaning by these comparisons. When the scriuener takes the pen into his hand and writes, the action of writing comes from the penne, mooued by the hand of the writer: and in cutting of wood or stone, the diuision comes from the sawe, mooued by the hand of the workeman: euen so the grace (say they) that is giuen by God, is conferred by the sacrament it selfe. Now we for our parts hold, that sacraments are not phisicall, but meere voluntarie instruments. Voluntarie, because it is the will and appointment of God, to vse them as certaine outward meanes of grace. Instruments: because when we vse them aright according to the institution. God then answerably conferres grace from himselfe. In this respect onelyonly take we them for instruments and no otherwise.
The secōd difference is this: they teach that the very action of the minister dispēsing the sacrament, as it is a work done giues grace immediatly if the party be prepared: as the very washing or sprinkling of water in baptisme, and the giuing of bread in the Lords supper: euen as the orderly moouing of the pen vponupon the paper by the hand of the writer causeth writing. We hold the contrarie: namely, that no action in the dispensation of a Sacrament conferreth grace as it is a worke done, that is, by the efficacie and force of the very sacramentall action it selfe, though ordained of God: but for two other waies. First by the signification thereof. For God testifies vntounto vsus his will and good pleasure partly by the word of promise, and partly by the sacrament: the signes representing to the eyes that which the word doth to the eares: being also types and certen images of the very same things, that are promised in the word and no other. Yea the elements are not general and confused, but particular signes to the seuerall communicants, and by the vertues of the Institution: for when the faithfull receiue the signes from God by the hands of the Minister, it is as much as if God himselfe with his owne mouth should speake vntounto them seuerally, and by name promise to them remission of sinnes. And things said to men particularly, doe more affect, and more take away doubting, then if they were generally spoken to an whole companie. Therefore signes of graces are as it were an applying and binding of the promise of saluation to eueryevery particular beleeuer: and by this meanes, the oftner they are receiued, the more they helpe our infirmitie, and confirme our assurance of merciemercy.
Againe the sacrament conferres grace, in that the signes thereof confirmes faith as a pledge, by reason it hath a promise annexed to it. For when God commands vsus to receiue the signes in faith, and withall promiseth to the receiuers to giuegive the thing signified, he bindes himselfe, as it were in bond vntounto vsus, to stand to his owne word; euen as men binde themselues in obligations putting to their hands and seales, so as they cannot go backe. And when the signes are thus vsed as pledges, and that often: they greatly increase the grace of God: as a token sent from one friend to an other, renewes and confirmes the perswasion of louelove.
These are the two principall waies whereby the sacraments are said to conferre grace, namely in respect of their signification, and as they are pledges of Gods fauour vntounto vsus. And the very point here to be considered is, in what order and manner they confirme. And the manner is this. The signes and visible elements affect the senses outward and inward: the senses conuay their obiect to the mind: the mind directed by the holy Ghost reasoneth on this manner, out of the promise annexed to the sacrament. He that vseth the elements aright, shall receiue grace thereby: but I vse the elements aright in faith and repentance, saith the minde of the beleeuer: therefore shall I receiue from God increase of grace. Thus then, faith is confirmed not by the worke done, but by a kind of reasoning caused in the minde, the argument or proofe whereof is borrowed from the elements, beeing signes and pledges of Gods merciemercy.
The third difference. The Papists teach that in the sacrament by the work done, the very grace of iustification is conferred. We say no: because a man of yeares must first beleeue and be iustified, before he can be a meete partaker of any sacrament. And the grace that is conferred, is onelyonly the increase of our faith, hope, sanctification, &c.
Our Reasons.
Reason I. The word preached and the sacraments differ in the manner of giuing Christ and his benefits vntounto vsus: because in the word the spirit of God teacheth vsus by a voice conueied to the minde by the bodily eares: but in the sacraments annexed to the word, by certaine sensible and bodily signes viewed by the eie.aAug. l. 19. contr. Faust. cap. 16. Sacraments are nothing but visible words and promises. Otherwise for the giuing it selfe they differ not. Christ himselfe faith, that in the very worde, is eaten his owne flesh, which he was to giuegive for the life of the worlde: and what can be said more of the Lords supper. Augustine saith, that beleeuers are partakers of the bodie and blood of Christ in baptisme: Serm. ad infant. ad altar de Sacr.and Hierome to Edibia, that in baptisme we eate and drinke the body and blood of Christ. If thus much may be said of baptisme, why may it not also be said of the word preached. Again Hierom vponupon Ecclesiastes saith, It is profitable to be filled with the bodie of Christ and drinke his blood, not onelyonly in mysterie but in knowledge of holy Scripture. cap. 3.Nowe vponupon this it followes, that seeing the worke done in the word preached conferres not grace, neither doth the worke done in the sacrament conferre any grace.
Reason II. Math. 3.11. I baptize you with water to repentance: but he that cō meth after me is stronger then I—, hee shall baptize you with the holy Ghost and with fire. Hence it is manifest, that grace in the sacrament proceedes not from any action in the sacrament: for Iohn, though he doe not disioyne himselfe & his action from Christ, and the action of his spirit, yet doth he distinguish thē plainely in number, persons, and effect. To this purpose Paul, who had said of the Galathians, that he trauelled of them and beget them by the Gospell, saith of himselfe that he is not any thing, not onelyonly as hee was a man, but as hee was a faithfull Apostle:1. Cor. 7.3. thereby excluding the whole Euangelicall ministerie wherof the Sacrament is a part, from the least part of diuine operation, or, efficacy in conferring of grace.
Reason III. The blessed Angels, nay the very flesh of the sonne of God hath not any quickning vertue from it selfe; but all this efficacie or vertue is in and from the godhead of the sonne: who, by meanes of the flesh apprehended by faith, deriueth heauenly and spirituall life from himselfe to the members. Now if there be no efficacie in the flesh of Christ, but by reason of the hypostatical vnion: how shall bodily actions about bodily elements conferre grace immediatly.
Reason IV. Paul, Rom. 4. stands much vponupon this, to prooue that iustification by faith is not conferred by the sacraments. And from the circumstance of time he gathereth that Abraham was first iustified, and then afterward receiued circumcision, the signe and seale of his righteousnes. Nowe we knowe that the generall condition of all sacraments is one and the same, and that baptisme succeeded circumcision. And what can be more plaine then the example of Cornelius, Act. 10. who before Peter came vntounto him, had the commendation of the feare of God, and was indued with the spirit of praier: and afterward when Peter by preaching opened more fully the way of the Lord, hee and the rest receiued the holy Ghost. And after all this they were baptised. Now if they receiued the holy Ghost before baptisme, then they receiued remission of sinnes, and were iustified before baptisme.
V. Reason. The iudgement of the Church. Basil. If there bee any grace in the water, it is not from the nature of the water, but from the presence of the spirit. Hierome saith, Man giues water but God giues the holy Ghost. Augustine saide,Lib. de Spir sanct. c. 15. in Esa. 14. Tract. 6. in epist. Ioh. Water toucheth the bodie and washeth the heart: but he shewes his meaning else where. There is one water (saith he) of the sacrament, another of the spirit: the water of the Sacrament is visible, the water of the spirit inuisible. That washeth the bodie and signifieth what is done in the soule. By this the soule is purged and healed.
Obiect. Remission of sinnes, regeneration, and saluation is ascribed to the sacrament of baptisme, Act. 22.21. Eph. 5. Gal. 3.27. Tit. 2. Ans. Saluation and remission of sinnes is ascribed to baptisme and the Lords supper, as to the word; which is the power of God to saluation to all that beleeue: and that, as they are instruments of the holy ghost to signifie, zeale, and exhibite to the beleeuing minde the foresaid benefits: but indeede the proper instrument whereby saluation is apprehended is faith, and sacraments are but proppes of faith furthering saluation two waies: first because by their signification they helpe to nourish and preserue faith: secondly because they seale grace and saluation to vsus: yea God giues grace and saluation when we vse them well: so be it, we beleeue the word of promise made to the sacrament, whereof also they are seales. And thus we keepe the middle way, neither giuing too much nor too little to the sacraments.