The Buckler of the Faith, Part 2 · Article 35 · Subpart 1
Of the pretended Sacrament of Confirmation.
Sect. 2 Confirmation is a Sacrament of the Church of Rome not to be reiterated,Concil. Trid. Sess. 7. cap. 9. which ought to be celebrated fasting, which imprinteth an indelible character in the soule, and which is not conferred but by a Bishop: wherein there are godfathers and godmothers, betweene whom and the child that is confirmed by that Sacrament,Pontificale c. De confir. Hoc Sacramento contrahitur spiritualis cognatio impediens matrimonium, contrahendum, & dirimens contractum. Idque contra Decretum Cōcilij Cabilonensis. 2. c. 31. there is a spirituall parentage begotten, which hindereth marriage, and which also causeth the dissolution of marriage, notwithstanding the prohibition made by Iesus Christ, forbidding the dissolution of marriage vnlesse it be for adultery, saying, Matth. 5.32. and 19.6.9. Let no man therefore put asunder that which God hath coupled together. &c. Neuerthelesse, the Pope by speciall priuiledge, sometimes permitteth a man to marry his gossip: as it is said in the book of the Taxing of the Apostolical chancery, where the Datarie of the Popes Bulles which hath made this taxe, speaketh in the 23 leafe, saying,*Dispensatio de contrahendo incognatione spirituali. gr. 60. Expodiui tamen vnam pro gr. 50. sed de gratia. A dispensation to contract marriage betweene spirituall kinred costs 60 groats, neuerthelesse I granted one for 50 groats; but that was done by fauour.
This Sacrament is administred in this manner: A child is presented to the Bishop by a godfather if it be a boy, or by a godmother if it be a daughter. The Bishop sits downe, washeth his hands, layeth them vponupon his breast, and sayes certaine prayers, by the which he asketh or requireth the seuenfold spirit. Then he asketh the godfather the childs name, and dipping his right thombe in the sacred oyle, which is called Chrisme, which they bring in a bottle, whereon the Bishop breatheth to sanctifie it, speaketh to the oyle saying, Aue Chrisma, I salute thee Chrisme.
That done, the Bishop annonits the childs forehead therewith in manner of a crosse, saying, Signo te signo crucis, & confirmo te chrismate salutis, in nomine patris, & filij & spiritus sancti. I marke thee with the signe of the crosse, and confirme thee by the Chrisme of saluation, in the name of the Father, &c.
After that he giues the child a blow on the eare to strengthen him in the faith, then he kisseth it, and hauing rubbed his thombe with crums of bread, after many signes of the crosse by him made, he commands the godfathers and godmothers to teach the child the Creed, the Pater noster, and Aue Maria.
While this is doing, the child if it can stand vpright, setteth his right foote vponupon the right foote of his godfather or godmother, if it be a daughter. The action ended, they bind the childs forehead with a cloath, and vponupon the band put certaine golden spangles in manner of a crosse, and so the whole action is ended.
Nunquam erit Christianus, nisi in Cōfirmatione Episcopali fuerit Chrismatus.Touching the efficacie and fruite of this Sacrament, the Canon Omnes, in the 5. Distinction of Consecration, saith, That all the faithfull ought to receiue this Sacrament, Vt pleni Christiani inueniantur, to the end they may be found to be full Christians; as if without that Sacrament they were but halfe Christians. Therefore also in the same Distinction, in the Canon, Vt ieiuni, it is said, That he shall neuer be a Christian, which hath not bene annointed by Episcopall Confirmation. Following this doctrine Thomas the Angelicall Doctor, in the third part of his summes, 72 question, Article 9.*Hoc Sacramentum est perfectiuum Baptismi. saith, This Sacrament is administred to giuegive perfection to Baptisme, as if without Confirmation Baptisme were imperfect. Therfore also the rules of the Romish Church import, that this Sacrament ought to be more honorable then Baptisme: as it is expresly said in the Canon De his, in the fift Distinction of Consecration, which saith,*Maiorī veneratione venerandum est & tenendum. This Sacrament ought to be reuerenced & obserued with greater reuerence then Baptisme. Neuerthelesse, to mitigate the matter, there is added,*Sed ita coniuncta sunt haec duo sacramenta, vt ab inuicem nisi morte praeueniente nullatenus possint separari, & vnum sine altero perfici non possit. § Denique. Idcirco tam ratione Ministri quàm ratione subiecti, praestat Confirmatio Baptismo, vt rectè dicit Magister. Vide Costerum Augment. enchiridij de Sacram. Confirm. That these two Sacraments are in such manner conioyned, that they can by no meanes be separated one from the other, vnlesse death preuent them, and that the one cannot be perfect without the other. Then by this reckoning, Baptisme is either nothing, or imperfect without Confirmation.
Bellarmine in the first chapter of the booke of Confirmation, maketh Confirmation worthier then Baptisme in three things, first, Ratione ministri, In considerarion of him which administereth, which ought to be a Bishop, but Baptisme may be administred in the Church of Rome by a porter and by a woman. Secondly, Ratione subiecti, in consideration of the subiect, that is, of the part of the body, for Confirmation is done in the forehead. Which are two comparisons as wisely made, as if a Prince hauing giuen a peny for an almes, and a subiect hauing giuen 10 crownes, I should say, that that peny is of more worth then the ten crownes, because of the quality of the giuer, and because the one laid the penny vponupon the poore mans head, and the other put the ten crownes into his hand. Thirdly and lastly, he wil hauehave Confirmation to surpasse Baptisme, Ratione virtutis, because of the vertue, which is the principall point. For in the beginning of the 11 chapter, he saith, that this Sacrament conferreth a grace, which maketh the person acceptable, yea a greater grace thē that which is conferred by Baptisme, as touching this point, to fortify the soule against the assaults of the diuell. To that end the blow on the eare serueth. Which being so, I maruell▪ why Iesus Christ would be baptized, and did not thinke vponupon receiuing of the Sacrament of Confirmation.
The 25. Article of our Confession, by receiuing none but Baptisme and the holy Supper for Sacraments in the Christian Church, silently reiecteth this Sacrament of Confirmation, as iniurious to Baptisme, seeing that the Church of Rome in the places aforesaid, is not content to make Baptisme inferiour in dignitie to Confirmation; but also accuseth Baptisme of imperfection, adding a Sacrament thereunto, without the which men are but halfe Christians, and which supplieth the want and imperfection of Baptisme.
But I will passe ouer all these trifles of ceremonies, which hauehave a shew of coniuration. Our aduersaries, to proue this Confirmation by the Scripture, say, that Iesus Christ the same day when he instituted the holy Supper, taught his Apostles to consecrate the Chrisme which they vse in Confirmation: which is some dreamers tale: whereupon neuerthelesse the custome in the Church of Rome to consecrate the oile on thursday before Easter day is grounded. This fable is found in a Decretall of*Ep. ad Orientales. Pope Fabian, which as well as others of the three first*Baron. tom. 9. ad annum 861. Sect. 5. 6. 7. quas dubias esse, non dubium est. Item illis aduentitijs & recens inuentis non eget Ecclesia. Ages, is acknowledged to be false by the wisest among our Aduersaries. This is rather to mocke then to defend the cause, that they ground their Confirmation vponupon this, that the holy Spirit descended vponupon the Apostles in forme of fierie tongues. From whence they inferre, that a Bishop ought to annoint and strike a child to strengthen him in the faith. Tobias Dog might as well serue for a proofe thereof. But our Aduersaries mistake themselues. They hauehave no lesse reason to ground their Confirmation vponupon Acts 8.16 and 19.6. of the same, where the Apostles laid hands vponupon certaine persons that were already baptized, who by that laying on of hands receiued the holy Ghost. For is there any thing spoken of Chrisme or Vnction in those places? which is the essence of this pretended Sacrament (for in the very forme which they vse in Confirmation there is mention of these things, as also of the blow, and of the headband, and such inuentions. The Imposition of hands by the Apostles, was not to celebrate a Sacrament, to perfect or strengthen Baptisme, but to conferre miraculous and extraordinarie gifts, as it is said Acts 19.6, After Paul had laid his hand vponupon them, the holy Ghost came on them, and they spake the tongues, and prophecied. The same appeares Acts 8. where Simon Magus offered money, perceiuing that by imposition of hands the Apostles gaue the holy Ghost; which he could not hauehave seene, if some visible and extraordinarie miracle had not bin shewed. Certainly he would hauehave giuen nothing for the confirmation of the Romish Church. Those extraordinarie graces were sometimes conferred before Baptisme, as to Cornelius and his familie.Acts 10.44.47. Which makes Bellarmine in his booke of extreame Vnction, cap. 2. to say, that Confirmation was giuen to Cornelius before Baptisme: a thing neuerthelesse forbidden in the Church of Rome.
Touching the word Sacrament, if any man will call this Imposition of hands by the Apostles, a Sacrament, we will not contest with him touching that, for it was a sacred signe of the graces of God, as the Serpent of brasse, and at this day the Rainebow are the like. But they are not Sacraments in that strict sence, in which the word Sacrament at this day is taken: that is, for a sacred signe of Iesus Christ, and of his graces, common to all beleeuers, and perpetuall in the Christian Church. Of such Sacraments we acknowledge but two, that is, Baptisme and the Lords Supper, because Iesus Christ ordained but these two. Saint Augustine, in his 118. Epistle 9. chapter, 3. booke of Christian Doctrine, restraineth himselfe to these*Sacramenti… numero paucissimis, obseruatione facillimis, significatione praestantissimis, societatem noui populi colligauit, sicuti est baptismus, Trinitatis nomine consecratus, et communicatio corporis & sanguinis ipsius, & si quid aliud in Scripturis Canonicis commendatur. Graeci haeretici, qui Pontificem & Latinos omnes habent pro excommunicatis sacramentum confirmationis paruulis suis mox post baptismum conferunt per simplices sacerdotes. two Sacraments; and it is vsual with him to say, That the Sacraments of the Christian Church, issued out of our Lords side, when bloud and water came out of it.
Saint Ambrose booke of Sacraments speaketh but of Baptisme and the Eucharist. When the Fathers call other ceremonies Sacraments, they take that word in another generall signification, whereby they call the Gospel a Sacrament, and the Incarnation a Sacrament, and to be short, all other things wherein there is any sacred mysterie.
The ceremony of ancient Christians to impose hands with vnction, was not a Sacrament apart, but was done at the time of Baptisme, presently after Baptisme was done, if it were possible. For the manner was that the Catechumeni were baptized by troupes. And in the same place, after they were baptized, they receiued the vnction with imposition of hands by the Bishop, and were exhorted to perseuerance in faith. Which was no part of Baptisme, but a dependance and a ceremony, nothing like to the Confirmation practised in the Church of Rome. The Supplement of Philastrius puts this among the errours of the Greekes, to wit, that they hold the Pope and all the Latin Churches for excommunicated, and that they conferred Confirmation presently after Baptisme.
The Church of England retaineth that which is commendable in this custome, where Confirmation is no other thing, but a profession which the child (hauing attained to the age of discretion) maketh to keepe the promise which his godfathers and godmothers made in his name when he was baptized, and answereth touching his faith & instruction: which done, he receiueth the Imposition of hands, and the blessing of the Bishop: which ceremonie is not called nor held by them a Sacrament. Our Churches in stead of that, cause children to be presented at Catechizing, and to answer publikely touching their faith, before we admit them to the holy Supper: which is done with prayer, that it will please God to extend his blessing on them. Which customes being of their nature free touching exterior forme and order, the end thereof ought to be the welfare and instruction of those which are in that manner receiued, together with the edification of the Church.