A Dispute Upon Communicating at our Confused Communions, Chapter 4
CHAP. IIII. Of the words uttered at the deliverie of the elements.
The ſacramenta words are not uttered demonstrat…uely.THE third innovation is, that the word of promiſe, This is my bodie, This cup is the new teſtament, &c. is not uttered demonſtratiuely, when the elements are delivered to everie communicant. It is not enough that the words of the inſtitution were rehearſed before by way of hiſtorie narratiuelie, or materiallie. This ſacrament is an imitation of Chriſt not a recitall of his words, & actions, it is to do, as he did, and not to report what he did, ſayth Pierr du Moulin. Pag. 95.The rehearſal doeth no more, but let us ſee what warrant there is to uſe bread, and wine in the celebration of this ſacrament, rather then anie other elements, and to aſſure us that bread, & wine in general are appointed to this uſe. But it can not be ſaid demonſtratiuelie de individuo ſignato of this bread, and wine in particular ſet on the table, that it is the bodie and blood of Chriſt. For firſt it muſt be bleſſed, & ſanctified by prayer, and thanksgiving to this uſe, that the miniſter may ſay, Thi…, that is, this ſanctified bread is my bodie. The rehearſal of the word of promiſe euen after the ſanctification ſerueth onelyonly for a general warrant. The words then muſt be uttered after the bleſſing demonſtratiuely not to God in a prayer, or forme of oblation, as the popiſh or Engliſh prieſt doeth. For Chriſt uttered them to the diſciples. nor yet by holding, or pointing out the bread to the whole congregation, ſaying This is my bodie, as in the baſtarde leiturgies aſcribed to Baſil…, and Chryſoſtome, where the bread is holden up after the pronouncing of theſe words, & the people anſwer Amen, or in the Ethiopian maſſe, where the people anſwer Amen, Amen, Amen we beleeue it is the bodie of the Lord, which were ridiculous, & hath ben the original of manie errors. For what if the elements be not delivered, ſhal they be ſacramentally Chriſts bodie and blood; or the remains? This is a common axiome of the Divines Elementa extra uſum non ſunt ſacramenta. The elements out of the uſe are nor ſacraments. For howbeit it be not eſſential to bread to be delivered, yet it is eſſentiall to ſacramentall bread to be delivered, taken, and eaten. Chriſt ſaid not, This is my bodie to all in generall, & then to everie one in particular take thou, eate thou, as the papiſt and formaliſt doth, but firſt Take eate, and then, This is my bodie, or actu continuo both bade them take, and eate, and ſignified what it was he was giving to them. The promiſe is annexed to the commandement, as conditionall. The promiſe hath no otherwiſe eff…ct then if the condition take place. Si quis ſeparat promiſſionem a mandato diſcedit ab inſtitutione Chriſti. In Mat. 26.N…n aliter igitur habet effectum promiſſio, quam ſ… condit…o etiam locum habeat. ſayth Robertus Stephanus It fareth with the ſacramentall elements, as with pawnes, & pledges in contracts, and bargains. A ring may be appointed for a pledge in matrimonie, yet is it not actually a pledge, without conſent of the other partie, but on…ly a meere ring. A ſtone choſen to be a ſigne of a Marche is not actually a marche ſtone, but in the uſe, when it is ſett with conſent of parties in the marche for that end. So the elements are conſecrate, and ſett apart by prayer and thankſgiving, to this uſe, yet are they not actually Chriſts bodie, and blood till they be received and eaten. And therefore a ſacrament properly is defined to be a ceremonie or action. By a figuratiue kinde of ſpeech the bread may be called the ſacrament of Chriſts bodie, becauſe it is appointed to that ende, as when Iſaack ſaid to Abraham. where is the ſacrifice, that is, the ramm or the lambe appointed for the ſacrifice. But Chriſt called the bread his body not in that ſenſe, but in the deliverie and uſe, when it was verilie a ſigne and ſeale of Chriſts bodie. It followeth therefore that the word of promiſe muſt be uttered demonſtratiuely onelyonly in the time of deliverie, receiving, and eating, and to everie one ſeverally, if he will needs giuegive ſeverally. For otherwiſe he ſhal utter them demonſtratiuely to ſome, and not to others. The ſacramentall ſignes are like ſeales hanging at the charter. The word of promiſe is the ſpecial, & ſolemn clauſe of the Charter. If at any time it ſhould be uttered, it ſhould be uttered when the ſeale is delivered, ſeeing the ſacramentall words carie the promiſe, & refer the ſignes to their ſacramental uſe. What would we thinke, if the miniſter rehearſed Chriſts command to baptize in name of the father, ſonne, & the holie ghoſt, but when he come to the ſprinkling would not ſay, I baptize thee in the name of the father, ſonne, and Holie ghoſt, but utter ſome other words of his owne framing. What is the reaſon the formaliſt wil not utter demō ſtratiuely the words when he delivereth. It is not feare that the kneeler apprehend Chriſts bodie to be under the bread, or the accidents of the bread, for he uttereth them not to the ſitter, more then to him that kneeleth, and is not affraide to conſtraine ignorant people to kneele, although he ſhould conceiue Chriſts bodie to be preſent under the bread, when he hath uttered other words. But here is the myſterie of the matter, they place the vertue of conſecration in theſe words, as the Papiſt doth. And therefore becauſe he hath uttered them alreadie, he will not repeate them again; leaſt he ſhould ſeem to conſecrate them again. For Mr. Lindſay ſaith, That after the ſacrament is made by the ſacramentall word, the Paſtor uſeth other words in delivering the elements.Proceedings pag. 57. Mr. Michelſon ſayth the like. And yet hauehave they not uttered theſe words before the delivery, but onelyonly narratiuely, or by way of recitall, which, as I hauehave ſayd, doth onelyonly ſhew a warrant in generall. If demonſtratiuely, it muſt be in the time o… prayer, after the Popiſh or Engliſh maner. For they confeſſe they utter them not demonſtratiuely to the communicant. If conſecration be taken for ſanctification, then it is placed in the prayer, or bleſſing. For by prayer, or thankſgiving, the elements are ſanct…fied and conſecrated to this uſe. If you will diſtinguiſh betwixt ſanctification & conſecration, as Popiſh Divines doe, then ſay we, that the bleſſing and ſanctifying is but a part, and that conſecration, that is the making of them a ſacrament, conſiſteth in the whole action, as our Divines doe well obſerue. For except there be receiving, eating & drinking, they are not ſeales of Chriſts body and blood. Sacramenta perficiuntur uſu. By the way I obſerue that as the formaliſts utter not Chriſts words demonſtratiuely, ſo agree they not upon a preſcript form of words, but frame them as they pleaſe, whether in form of praier or otherwiſe as they thinke good. The communicant is acceſſorie to this innovation, becauſe hee receiveth from him who changeth the words, and giveth the ſeale without the word of promiſe.