The Account Reckoning and Confession of Faith, Article 7
¶The ſeuenth Article.
Sacramentes geue not grace.SEuēth. I beleue, yea I know. yt al Sacramentes are ſo farre of frō gyuyng of grace, yt they do not ſo muche as brynge or miniſtre it. In whych aſſercion perchaunce (O moſte myghtye Emperour) I ſhalbe thought to malaperte. But thus faſt ſtandeth my iudgement. For grace as it is wroughte and gyuen to vsus of Goddes ſpirite (I ſpeake after the facyon of latyn, whā I vſe thys worde grace for forgeueneſſe of ſynnes mercy and free benefyte) ſo dothe that gyfte pearce, entre and attayne to our only ſpirite. But a guyde or chariote is not nedful to ye ſpirite. For the ſpirite is a power and cariage wherby al thīges are caried, neither hauehave we redde at any tyme in the holye ſcriptures, that ſenſible thynges (as Sacramentes are) could certaynly brynge wyth them the ſpirite. But yf at any tyme ſenſible thynges hauehave bene caried wyth the ſpirit, then it was the ſpirite that caryed, & not the ſenſible thynges.
So when the vehemēt wynd was brought,Acte. 2. by the power of the wynde tongues were alſo brought, but the wynd was not brought by the power of tongwes.Nume. 11. So the wynd brought the quales, and caried awaye the locuſtes, but no quayles or locuſtes at any tyme hauehave bene ſo ſwyfte to carie the wynde.
So whan the wynd beyng ſo great that it was albe to take away mountaynes, paſſed by Elias,3. Reg. 19. Iohan. 3. yet the Lorde was not caryed by the wynd. To by ſhorte: the wynd bloweth wher it wyll, that is, the wynd bloweth ſo as his nature is, and thou truly heareſt the voyce of it, but knoweſt not from whence it came, or where it ſtayeth. So is eueryevery one that is borne of the ſpirite, that is, ys lyghtned and drawen inuiſibly, and inſenſybly. Truth hath ſpoken theſe thinges, therfor the grace of the ſpirite nether is brought wyth that dyppinge in the water, nother wyth that bytte or drawght, nother wyth that anoyntinge. For if it were ſo, than it myght be knowen, howe, wher, wherwith, by whom, & into whom the ſpirit were brought. For if the preſent effecte & ſtrength of grace were tyed vntounto the Sacramētes, thā wither they are brought, al thinges are gracyouſly wrought. And wher they are not miniſtred nor applied, al thinges are infeblyſſhed, that is, than were all they graceleſſe whych had not receaued the Sacramentes al be it they be electe and choſen,Ephe. 1. whyche election is by the grace of God in Chriſte. Nether is there cauſe, why the diuynes ſhulde alledge Materia or ſubiectum, the matter or ſubiecte, for that the order and diſpodiſpoſicyon of it is before required, that is, that the grace of baptyme or of thankeſgyuyng (for ſo they ſpeake) maye be gyuen to hym, that is fyrſte prepared thervnto. For he whych (after theyr mynde) receyueth this grace by the Sacramētes, other prepareth hys ſelfe thervnto,An argument. or els he is prepared of the ſpirite. Yf he prepare hym ſelfe, then hauehave we alſo ſome power of our ſelues, and ſo the preuentynge grace is nothyng. Yf he be prepared of the ſpirite to the recepte of grace, than I aſke: whether yt alſo be done by the Sacrament as a guyde:A queſtiō. or without the ſacrement. If by the meanes of the ſacramente, than by the ſacrament man is prepared vntounto the ſacramente: And ſo the proceſſe ſhalbe endleſſe, for alwaye the ſacrament ſhalbe required to the preparacion of the Sacrament. But if wythout the Sacrament we are prepared to the recept of the ſacramētal grace, then ye ſpirite is preſent by hys bounteous liberalitie before ye Sacramēt, and lykewyſe grace is there alredy preſēt before ye ſacramēt be brought.Sacrementes are witneſſes wherwith we witneſſe to the church that we hauehave receyued the gra & mercy of God Of whych thynges thys is gathered, (whyche wyllyngly and gladly I alowe in the ryght vſe of ſacramētes) that the Sacramentes are gyuen for an opē wytneſſe of that grace, whych fyrſt is preſent to eueryevery faythfull particuler man.
So is baptyme before the congregacion gyuen to hym, whych before he receaue it other hath confeſſed the religion of Chriſt, or els hathe the worde of promiſe, wherby it is knowen, wen that he pertayneth to the churth For thys cauſe it is, that when we baptyſe one of lawful age, we fyrſt aſke hym whether he beleue. And yf he anſwere yea: than in concluſion he receaueth baptyme. Therfore fayth is confeſſed to be preſent, before he receyue baptyme, and ſo fayth is not gyuē in the recepte of baptyme.
But yf an infant be offred to baptyme, thā it is aſked: whether the chyldes parentes offer it to be baptyſed. And whan it is anſwered by the wytneſſes that they wolde hauehave it baptyſed, thā by & by the infant is baptiſed.
And here the promyſe of God wēt before, that he aſwel eſtemeth our infantes to be of the church, as were the chyldrē of the Hebrues. For whā they whych are of the churche offer them, than the infante is baptyſed by thys lawe, that for aſmuche as it is borne of chriſtianes, it is by Goddes promyſe reputed and taken amonge the mē bres of the Churche. Therfore by baptyme the churche openly receaueth him, which before is receyued by grace. So than, baptyme bryngeth not grace, but wytneſſeth to the churche, that grace is alredy gyuen to hym, to whome baptyme is miniſtred.
I beleue therfore O Emperoure, that a Sacrament is a ſygne of an holye thynge, that is,What a ſacrament is of grace gyuen alredy. I beleue that it is a viſible figure or fourme, of an inuiſible grace. whyche by the fre gyfte of God is miniſtred and gyuen.Sacramentes repreſēt the agrement af a thing done by the ſpirite. And that it is a viſible example whych neuertheleſſe declareth almoſte a certayne conueniencie, proporcion or agremente of a thynge done by the ſpirite. Moreouer I beleue that a Sacramente is an open wytneſſe of grace gyuen: As whā we are baptyſed, the body is waſſhed wyth a moſte pure Element: but therby is ſygnifyed, that we thorowe the grace of Goddes goodnes are choſen into the company of the churche and people of God, wherin we oughte to lyue holely, ryghteouſly and godlye, for ſo Paule expoundeth the miſtery.Rom. 6. Therfore he whych receaueth baptyme wytneſſeth therby hymſelfe to be of Goddes churche, whyche worſhippeth here God in ſoundneſſe of faith and purenes of lyfe. And for that cauſe the ſacramentes,Awſten vponupon Iohn whych are holye Ceremonies (for the worde cōmeth to the Element and it is made a Sacracramēt) are deuoutly to be reuerēced,treaty. 80 that is, to be had in price & eſtimacion, and reuerentlye to be miniſtred & vſed. For albeit they can not pardone vsus nor releaſe vsus of our ſynnes, yet vyſiblye they ioyne vsus to the churche, whych fyrſte were inuiſibly by the grace of Eleccion receyued into the ſame, whych thynge ſeyng that in the miniſtracion of them it is together pronounced and publyſhed wyth the wordes of Goddes promyſe, it is wyth muche deuociō to be had in eſtimacion. For yf we thynke otherwyſe of the Sacramētes, namely that they beyng applied outwardly do purge & clenſe inwardly, then playnly Iewyſhnes were come home agayne, whiche wyth diuerſe waſſhynges, oyntementes, offerynges, ſacrifyces and meates beleued that theyr ſynnes were purged, and that grace by them were as it were purchaſed & bought. Whych thynge neuertheleſſe the prophetes, and ſpecially Eſay and Ieremye dyd alwaye moſte conſtantlye wyth ſharpe wordes ſhake vp, teachinge that the promyſes and benefittes are gyuen by the free liberalite of God, and not for the regarde of workes, merites or outward ceremonies
I beleue alſo that the Catabaptiſtes denyeng baptyme to the infantes of chriſten men, do moſte ſhamefully erre, not only therin, but alſo in many other thynges, wherof nowe is no tyme to ſpeake. And to beware and exchue whether ye wyll the foolyſhneſſe or malyce of them, throughe the helpe of God not wythout peryl I both taught & wrote fyrſte agaynſt them, that nowe throughe hys goodnes that infeccion amōg vsus is greatly ſlackt, ceaſſed, relinquyſhed & lefte of, ſo farre is it of that I other hauehave receyued, taught, or defended any thynge of thys ſedicious ſecte.