Truth and Falsehood, Book · Chapter 18
Of lawfully calling into the miniſterie, and againſt the Sacrament of Order, as they call it. CHAP. 18
THE PROTESTANTS
THat in the Church of Chriſt there ought to bee a lawfull calling vntounto the miniſtery, we ſo willingly confeſſe, that wee take it to bee one of the eſpeciall graces of God, towards vsus who are heere in this vale of miſery, for the which we are bounde to thanke God, day and night. For as their office is to Gather togither the Saintes, Eph. 4.12.to worke in the miniſterie, and build vp the body of Chriſt. Yea as Ambaſſadours for Chriſt to intreat the world to bee reconciled vntounto god, 2. Cor. 5.20.and therefore it is well called the miniſtery of reconciliation, verſe. 18.than the which there cannot be any greater benefit whilſt we are compaſſed about with the burden of this fleſh, whoſe will is ſtubborne and cannot be ſubdued to the will of God, whoſe wiſdome is but folly and blindnes,Rom. 8.7. and perceiueth not the things of the ſpirit of God: 1. Cor. 2.14.ſo the more wee are aſſured that they are appointed of God vntounto the ſaid miniſtery, and to labor in the ſaid office, with ſo much the more diligence wee will heare them, with the greater reuerence wee will receiue them, and with the greater readineſſe, wee will obey them. And ſuch as in ſome meaſure indeuour to performe this dutie, we reuerence as Ambaſſadours from that greate God,Eſ. 52.7. Their feete are verie beutifull vntounto vsus, we account them worthy of double 1. Tim. 5.17.honor. The godly will (howſoeuer the world deſpiſe thē) obey them as their fathers folow them as their guides, hear them as their teachers, and louelove thē as helpers of their ioyes. 2. Cor. 1.24.knowing that they cānot deſpiſe thē, but that they deſpiſe alſo God that ſent thē, & their own ſaluation for which they are ſent.
THE PAPISTS
BVt the church of Rome not contented to hauehave the fruit and benefite of this miniſtery, which Chriſt gaue to his church,Eph. 4.11. doe (although without all warrant of Gods worde) make a ſacrament thereof. Or rather of this one they make ſeuen ſacraments: for all their ſeuen orders hauehave ſeueral ceremonies yea and by their owne confeſsion ſeuerall graces alſo, which they doe worke & ſo in ſteed of ſeuen ſacraments vvhichwhich themſelues ſpeake of, they recken vp thirteene, namely ſixe beſide their ſacrament of order, & ſeuen in it. And whereas the miniſtery was appointed for preaching and miniſtring the ſacramentes, and they who laboured moſt in the word did beſt performe the ſame, they hauehave turned teaching and preaching, into ſacrificing and liſting.Concilium Trident. ſeſſ. 23. Can. 1. So that it is great commendation for one of their prieſtes to lyft faire: As they that could but kill a Ramme or a Calfe, were prieſtes good enough for that rebellious people of Iſrael, who yet called themſelues Gods people. As for reuerence and honor they content not themſelues with that regarde, that is due to their ministery and office, no neither yet that the Pope ſhoulde ſo much excell the Emperour,Innoc. de Maior & obed. c. ſol… t & gloſ. ibidem. as the Sunne doth the Moone, that is 47. times or degrees to be better than the emperour, as their own canoniſts teach, but that blaſphemous papiſt.In ſua chimaera fol. 97. 98. Staniſl. Orichouius did offer vntounto the councel of Trent a booke, wherin he makes eueryevery prieſt better than a king, in authority, degree, place & waight yea, he ſaith, that the prieſt is another God of the kings excellency. That the king is but a creature, but the prieſt a cre… : and how much God is be… r thā a prieſt, ſo much is a prieſt better thā a king: yea ſo much better is the prieſt than a king, as a man is better than a beaſt. And yet theſe horrible blaſphemies are allowed of with them.
Theſe groſſe abſurdities being thus euen by their owne bookes proclaimed vntounto the world, I might ſay to our Papiſts,Ad Ceeſiphontem. as S. Hierom did to the Pelagians, To lay forth your opinions, is to confute you. Your blaſphemie is euē at the firſt very manifeſt: there is no need to refell that which is of it ſelfe blaſphemous: Yet for the ſatiſfaction of the ignorant, it is not amiſſe to lay open the principall grounds wherevpon this their ſacrament is built. It hath (ſay they) all thoſe things which are of neceſſitie required in a ſacrament: namely, the outward ſigne, the promiſe of inward grace, and laſtly, the commaundement, or Gods inſtitution. The outward ſigne they made to be impoſition of hands:Bellar. lib. 1 de ſacra. Ord. Chap. 2. Ibidem. for ſo ſaith Bell. And yet afterwards being better aduiſed, conſidering alſo that euen ſome of his owne friends, thinke that laying on of handes is but an accidentall thing vntounto this ſacrament, and that the very neceſſary matter of this ſacrament,Cap. 9. is the cup with wine, and the couer thereof with bread, (for then is it ſaid to them, Receiue power to offer a ſacrifice, when theſe things are deliuered) he affirmeth that not only the giuing to thē of theſe things, but alſo the laying on of hands, is the matter or viſible forme of this ſacrament. Wherby we learn that themſelues are not well reſolued as yet, what ſhall bee the externall ſigne in this ſacrament. For in deed that which Chriſt did when hee ordained miniſters, that externall ſigne (I ſay) they make ſmall account of: for he Breathing on them ſaid, Iohn 20. Tract. in Iohn. 121receyue ye the holy Ghoſt. Whereby Chriſt would teach (as ſaint Auguſtine thinketh) that the holy Ghoſt proceedeth from the father and the ſonne alſo. And no maruell if they vrge not that ceremonie: for Chriſt himſelfe is not verie curious in that point.Mat. 28.19 Mar. 16.15 Mar. 10.6, 7 And as himſelfe did not commaund that ceremonie to bee vſed: ſo neither did himſelfe practiſe it any more but that once, as may appeare in ſundrie places, where hee authoriſeth his Apoſtles to preach without breathing vponupon them. And nowe, for laying on of handes, which many times the Apoſtles vſed, wee hauehave not only the teſtimonie of manie in the popiſh church, that thinke it not to be the principall outward ſigne in this ſacrament, but thinke the giuing of a chalice with wine, and the couer of it with bread, to be more eſſentiall and effectuall: but alſo we ſee that there is no commaundement giuen to the Apoſtles for it, and therefore neither doe they commaund it to be vſed, as a thing ſo neceſſarie that it may not be omitted. And whereas we acknowledge this ceremonie to hauehave ſundrie vſes: firſt in reſpect of the church, the partie ordained is by that ceremonie notified vntounto the church: ſecondly, he is confirmed thereby in his calling, put in minde of his dutie, and aſſured of his vocation by this common approbation, that hereby the church ſheweth. Thirdly, thereby the church doeth teſtifie, as it were before God, their ſincere dealing in their election, and conſecrate him to the ſeruice of God. Laſtly, the Godly vſed manie times in praying for others, to lay their hands vponupon them. Bellarmine in the place aboue named beſtoweth ſome paines, to proue, that praier and laying on of hands are two diſtinct things, which is not denied. To be ſhort, the ſumme of his argument is this: it was vſed of the Apoſtles, therefore it is ſo neceſſarie that it cannot be omitted. We anſwer that that ceremonie had good vſes, but yet might be omitted. Becauſe our ſauiour Chriſt did neither vſe it nor commaund it. And to thinke that he omitted anie ſubſtantial point of religion, or that the Apoſtles would account as ſimply neceſſary any thing not vſed or preſcribed by Chriſt, is to abſurd. And whereas they proue the promiſe of iuſtifying grace to be made by Chriſt, vntounto them that receyue this their ſacrament of Orders, I wonder that they ſee not, how yt both many are iuſtified that neuer entered into their Orders, & many alſo that hauehave had, and hauehave their greaſing and ſcraping, are as wicked men, and ſo by likelihood as far from this iuſtifying grace as Turkes or Iewes. And ſo it eaſily appeareth, that this ſecond thing required in a ſacrament, namely that it ſhould ſeale in vsus the promiſe of iuſtification, hath not ſo much as anie likelihoode, to bee in this their ſacrament of Orders. The third thing neceſſarie in a ſacrament is Gods commaundement, wherin they confeſſe their want, and that they hauehave no commaundement. But yet becauſe God did giuegive grace with laying on of the Apoſtles handes,1 Tim. 4. Bellar. de ord. ſacra. li. 1. ca. 2. therefore they take it as commaunded of God. If this bee a good argumente God gaue g od ſucceſſe to it: therefore it is commaunded of God, many ſtrange partes in Sampſon, Iehu, and others, will prooue to be commaunded of God: but that is moſt falſe, as the Papiſts themſelues will confeſſe. God did not onelyonly proſper Phinehas, Numb. 25in that which he attempted againſt Zimrie, and Cosby, but commended the fact alſo, and graciouſly rewarded the ſame, but yet he had no commaundement for ſo doing. Therefore although God may bee ſaide in ſome ſort to like of that to which he giueth good ſucceſſe, yet no man can thereby conclude, that God hath commaunded it: But rather on the contrary, we may thus reaſon. The laying on of hands was neither practiſed by our ſauiour Chriſt, neither commaunded by him or his Apoſtles: therefore that ceremonie is not of ſuch neceſſitie, but that ordination may bee without it. Yea but Chriſt is not tyed to the ſacrament (ſayth maſter Bellarmine) and therefore can giuegive the effect of the ſacrament without the ſacrament,Cap. 2. li. 1. hee can make Prieſtes without laying on of handes. That hee can ſo doe, wee confeſſe, but that hee dealeth ſo in the inſtitution of ſacraments, all the Papiſts in the worlde will neuer bee able to proue: for in them we ſee that all things are moſt plaine, the outward ſigne, the promiſe, the commaundement, nothing in them hidden, nothing doubtfull. But becauſe himſelfe dare not well reſt vponupon that anſwere, hee concludeth that ſeconde chapter with another aunſwere, for hee telleth vsus, that it may bee that Chriſt did lay his hands vponupon them whom he made miniſters. Is this good dealing? Doeth not this manifeſtly bewray the weakeneſſe of their cauſe, when ſuch friuolous coniectures are the chiefe ſtrength of their cauſe? As for the Fathers whatſoeuer out of them they doe alledge, cannot prooue that which they take in hande: namely, that the ſacrament of Orders is a ſacrament like to Baptiſme and the Euchariſt. For all men muſt confeſſe, that theſe two ſacraments, which wee acknowledge to be common to all Chriſtians, are farre vnlike in that point to that popiſh ſacrament, which belongeth but vntounto a fewe.
And euen in this conſiſteth eſpecially the true vſe of Baptiſme, and of the Euchariſt, that they ſhould be genenerall teſtifications vntounto the whole church of Gods graces, and ſeales of his promiſes, and pledges of his louelove and fauour, And therefore the fathers ſometime call Ordination a ſacrament, yet it followeth not, that they take it to bee a ſacrament in the proper ſenſe, but in that ſenſe onelyonly as they call manie other things Sacraments, which the Popiſh Church doeth not receyue as Sacraments.De Sacrat. ord. li: 1. ca … But (ſay they) the Fathers compare Ordination with Baptiſme. For Bellarmine maketh great reckoning of that argument. The fathers may be ſo in ſome reſpect, becauſe the ſacrament of Baptiſme cannot be reiterated: no more muſt he that is once ordained to the miniſterie, ſeeke to be ordayned againe for euerie action that he performeth in his miniſterie, but hee is once for all appointed thereto. But what is that to the nature of the ſacrament, which muſt by a viſible ſigne aſſure vsus of inuiſible graces. So that, athough Ordination be like to Baptiſme, after a ſort, yet is it not like to Baptiſme, in that it by a viſible ſigne doeth aſſure vsus of inuiſible graces: but onelyonly, becauſe it is not to bee reiterated no more than Baptiſme is. And thus wee ſee the weakeneſſe of this argument: Ordination is in ſome poynt like to Baptiſme: therefore it is a ſacrament in ſuch ſort as Baptiſme is. Thus then, I truſt it appeareth howe weakely they proue Ordination to be a ſacrament, who hauehave neither ſcriptures,Matt. 28.19 nor fathers for the ſame. But if they could prooue that Ordination which Chriſt vſed to bee a ſacrament, what is that to Popiſh Ordination? Chriſt ſent the Apoſtles to preach, Goe teach all nations: but by their ordination the popiſh prieſts Receiue power to offer a ſacrifice. The Apoſtles executed their commiſſion which Chriſt gaue them, as appeareth in the Acts and their Epiſtles. And the popiſh prieſts on the other ſide thinke there is no ſeruice any thing ſo pleaſing to God, as the offering of ſacrifices. We ſee then, that as Ordination, euen as Chriſt and his Apoſtles vſed it, is not a ſacrament properly ſo called: ſo popiſh Ordination is nothing but a meere prophanation of Chriſts order, and a wilfull breach of his commaundement, and therefore moſt vnworthie of the name of a Sacrament.