Perth Assembly, Part 5 · Subpart 5
Of the Administration of the Sacraments in priuate places
IN the ninth head of the first booke of discipline, it was thought expedient, that baptisme be ministred vponupon the ordinary dayes of preaching: not that it is unlawfull to baptise whensoeuer the word is preached: but to remoue a grosse error wherewith many are deceived, thinking that children be damned if they die without baptisme, and to make the people hold the administration of the Sacraments in greater reverence. In the order of baptisme set dovn before the Psalmes in metre, it is said, that the Sacraments are not ordained of God to be vsed in priuate corners, as charmes or sorceries; but left to the Congregation and necessarily annexed to Gods word, as seales of the same. In the Assembly holden at Edinburgh anno. 1581. in October, it was ordained that the sacraments should not be ministred in private houses, but solemnly, according to the good order hitherto observed, vnderunder the paine of deposition, In the confession of faith the cruell judgement against infants departing without the sacrament, and the absolute necessity of baptisme are damned. This lawdable order hitherto observed, was altered in the late pretended Assembly holden at Perth. where was made an act anent the administration of baptisme in priuate houses, when necessity requireth. Item, an act anent the administration, and giuing of the holy communion in private houses to sick and infirme persons.
A Sacrament is a publick action, to be performed publickly, by publick ministers: neither can any necessity or sufficient cause be alledged, wherefore any sacred and publick action, should passe in priuate: Because Gods ordinance is to vsus a Supreame law and necessity, which we ought to obey rather then foster popular ignorance and infirmity. These are Tilenus words.aSyntag. pars. 2. pag. 700.
The Sacraments were appointed, not onelyonly to be signes and seales of invisible graces, bvt also to be testimonies before the world of our piety and thankfulnes towards God, and badges of our profession, distinguishing true Kirks from false. All Sacraments are certain kindes of protestations of our faith sayeth Aquinas. bpart. 3. quest. 7. act. 5.They ought therefore to be conspicuous and publick.
We hauehave spirituall and invisible fellowship and communion with the whole Kirke. Outwardly we professe the same faith and kind of worship, but we doe not communicate with the whole Kirk in the publick exercises of religion and ministration of the Sacraments, except only mediatly in some particular congregation. Visible communion in the holy things of God, is the end of our vnion and consociation with a particular Kirke. That which we may not attain to in our communion with the whole Kirke militant immediatly? we do it mediatly in our communion with a particular congregation. This communion ought not to be violate.
The minister in ministration of the Sacraments, hath not the only and cheife interest, but togither with the minister, the kirk witnessing, consenting, approving, and concurring with praier and thanksgiving. He is the mouth, but he is not all. The keies of the sacraments are giuen to the Kirke, howbeit the exercise and dispensation of them bee concredited to the pastours.cChrysost. lib. 3. de sacerdotio. All other actions which concerned the whole Kirk, were done with consent, and in presence of the Kirke: as elections, ordinations, excommunications. By the same reason ought the Sacraments to be ministred with consent, and in presence of the Kirk, seeing they are workes of publick nature, and publick fruit belonging to all.
Sacraments ought to be preserved from contempt, neglect, and corruption. The Sacraments are irreligiously handled, when they are ministred in private places: The Imperiall constitution in Iustinian dNovel. 57dischargeth that holy things be ministred in private houses. Not onelyonly are the Sacraments ministred irreligiously in priuate, brought in contempt, and the publik vse neglected▪ but also hereticks take occasion to corrupt the pure administration of the Sacraments by these privie practises,
The Sacraments are not tyed to the materiall Kirkes made of dead stones, but the Kirke made of liuely stones. If therefore the congregation bee in a woode, a house, or a Caue, the Sacraments may bee ministred in a house, a woode or a caue. But then the Sacraments are ministred, not in priuate but in publick because they are ministred in the sight of the whole Congregation.
Christs promise to be in the midst of two or three conuened in his name, cannot be extended to the administration of the Sacraments: for then where two only are convened, the communion might be ministred, and so the priuate masse defended. Christ reasoneth onelyonly from the lesse to the more. If he will heare the prayers and ratifie the censures of two or thre, farr more of the whole Kirk.
Baptisme is a ceremonie initiatory of our entrance into the bosome of some visible congregation, or as Caluine sayeth eEpist. 185.It is a sacred and solmne introduction into the Kirke of God, and is a testimony of our heauenly burgesship, vntounto the which those are written vp, whom he adopteth to himselfe, It ought therefore to be publick.
Baptisme is a signe of Christian profession before the world; it is called therefore the stipulation or interrogation of a good conscience. 1. Peter. 3. it ought therefore to be publick.
The Congregation should make fruit of the ministration of Baptisme, in remembring their owne baptisme, and the promises made in baptisme repeated unto them: it ought therefore to be publick, seeing the comfort and benefite in some respects should be common.
Not only the parents, but the Kirk presents the infant before God and concurreth with the minister in prayer for the saluation of the infant, as Tertullian sayeth, vt manu facta ambire gratiam pro baptizando possumus. It ought therefore to be publick.
Priuate baptisme hath sprong of the opinion of the necessity of baptisme, and doth still foster the same damnable opinion. In the ancient Kirk two solemne times were appointed for baptisme, to wit, Pasche and Pentecost, whereby many died without baptisme. fSocrat. lib. 5. cap. 21.many delayed baptisme till their latter age. The Clinicall baptismes, that is baptismes in the bed were not of that accompt that publick baptisme had. When the opinion of the necessity of priuate baptisme prevailed, then followed many absurdities, the defence of baptisme by women, baptisme by a pagane, baptisme with puddly water, and disputation whether the mother should be baptized for the safety of the infant in the mothers belly, that is, whether they should be renati antequam nati, get the sacrament of the second birth, before they get the first birth.
In private baptisme the doctrine of baptisme is omitted, for hast to saue the soule of the infant, as is thought, and so the Sacrament is not ministred according to the dignity of it: and this hath bredd a negligent and carelesse ministration of baptisme in publick. The Trullian Synod gCan. 59.decreed, that baptisme Nullatenus, in no case be ministred in a priuate oratory if it be done otherwise, let the Clergie-man be deposed, the laikes excommunicate, If in no case, where was then the case of necessitie?
Private baptisme hath bred a new kind of baptisme, that is, a baptisme by supposition. For if the childe baptized in private convalesse they baptize it over again, in case they doubt it was baptized in a right forme, saying, If thou be not baptized, N. I baptise thee in the name of the Father, &c. What if the childe was already baptized? is not the publicke baptisme rebaptization? but the decree of Alexander the third is warrant sufficient for this conditionall baptisme.
Baptisme was solemne in the primitiue Kirk, as we may read of Iohn baptized in Iordan, and Christs Disciples baptizing, and the new Converts in the Actes: some were not baptized in any visible Kirke, because they had not the occasion, as the Eunuch, and the Centurion. No man will deny but in the infancy of a Kirke, a private baptisme may be tolerated: but we speak of a Kirke constituted. When the Kirk of God was in families, no wonder that circumcision was ministred in families: but after that the Kirke was constituted among Gods people, the ministration of circumcision was publick, and is at this day ministred in the Synagogue, where a Synagogue is to be had. The Lord appoynted a precise day for circumcision, which might not be prevented. It was no wonder therefore if they had not ever opportunity of a solemne convention. There is no precise day set down for baptisme. The mark of circumcision howbeit secret, was permanent, and easily tried, baptisme is not so. The Kirk therefore ought to be assured of the baptisme of such as are reputed fellow-heires with whom they must hauehave the communion of Saints and visible cōmuniō of holy exercises. As any particular member is cut off from their fellowship by excōmunication with consent, and in the presence of the Kirk, 1. Cor. 5 4.5. so ought every particular member be received in their fel. lowship with their knowledge and consent convened together.
The Lords Supper ought to be publicke, we hauehave a spirituall union with the whole Kirke; but because it is not possible to celebrate a sacramentall communion with the whole Kirk militant, the Lord hath appoynted us to celebrate a sacramental communion with some particular Kirke. We that are many, are one bread, and one body, because we are partakers of one bread, 1. Cor. 10.17. We cannot then be one body sacramentally, except wee bee partakers of one bread. Other feasts may be private in private houses, but the Lords Supper ought to be publicke, 1. Cor. 11.12. When yee convene to eate, tarry one for another, 1. Cor. 11.33. Synaxis a word signifying as much as Synagogue, was one of the names given of old to this sacrament.
This sacrament is a bond of louelove, a sinew of publick assemblies, a badge of our publick profession. The Kirkes interest, the dignity of the sacrament, and other generall reasons before mentioned, may be applied in particular to this sacrament, to proue that the ministration thereof ought to be publicke.
The communion was sent to the sicke in the time, or immediatly after the action in Iustinus Martyr his time. It became afterward to be reserued for the use of dying persons. Augustine who misconstrued Ioh. 3.5. for the necessity of baptisme, did also misconstrue the words of Iohn 6. Except a man eate the flesh, &c. for the necessity of the Eucharist. This erroneous opinion of the necessity of the Eucharist, made the ancients to giuegive it not only to aged persons departing this life for their Vi…ticum, that is, their voyage uictuals, but also to infants and babe…, and that for the space of six hundred yeares: yea some put the Eucharist into the mouthes of the dead, lest they should want their voyage victuall. Such horrible prophanations of the holy Sacrament proceeded of this opinion of necessity: and yet in all antiquity we read not that the communion was celebrated at the sick mans bed side. The consecrated bread was onelyonly sent to him.
Clinicall communions hauehave not onelyonly bred, and still do foster the opinion of absolute necessity, but also of opus operatum, of a preposterous confidence in the last voyage victuall, of coldnesse in the publike service of God, when we are in health, of distrust of our salvation, if we want it at that time. Calvin sayth, hEpist. 361Difficillimum est hic cavere ne alios superstitio, alios ambitio & vana ostentatio ad petendum sollicitet.
They say the sick should not be left destitute of comfort. This reason ariseth of the opinion of necessity, as if there were no other meanes to comfort the sick,, or as if the comfort of the publick communion indured onelyonly for the present time, and not for the time to come. There is a faire occasion offered, Iam. 5. of private communion, and yet there is no mention made of it in that place. If the vow, and desire of baptisme may supply the want of baptisme, then may also the vow and desire of the Eucharist doe the like; seeing the Rh…mists iOn Iohn 6. sect. 8.acknowledge, that they do eate the flesh and drinke the bloud of Christ, which ioyne in heart, and desire, with the partakers of the Sacrament. To communicate spiritually and mystically, is necessary, but not sacramentally, when it cannot be done conveniently, and without breach of order.
Some Diuines condiscend thus farre, that the communion may be sent to the sick in the time of the publicke action. But Tilenus sayth, kSyntag. part. 2. pag. 722.Whatsoever necessity be pretended, scarce any sufficient cause can be rendred, wherefore the publicke action should passe in private, because the ordinance of God is of supreme necessity. The comforts of the infirme ministred out of order, doth rather foster the publike infirmity of the Kirk, then heale the private infirmity of the sicke.
FINIS.
End of the text · David Calderwood, Perth Assembly (1619)