The New Covenant, Book 1 · Chapter 17
CHAP. XVII. That Confirmation is not a Sacrament.
THe Apoſtles as the Maiſter-builders of the Churches, planted the Goſpell where the name of Chriſt: had not beene heard. Now becauſe many ſeducers aroſe that troubled the peace of the Church, and the faith of many beleeuers began to wauer: the Apoſtles agreed together to go againe to the Churches where they had laida1 Cor. 3.12. a golden foundation, (howſoeuer other had builded hay and ſtubble thereon) to ſee how theybActs 11, 22.23, and 15, 36. increaſed or decreaſed, as Acts 11. And they confirmed their hearts, and eſtabliſhed them in the faith which they had taught. And Chap. 15. Paul ſaid vntounto Barnabas, Let vsus returne and viſite our brethren in eueryevery Citty where wee hauehave preached the word of the Lord, and ſee how they do. And we doubt not, but when the Goſpell was reuealed, the Apoſtles by laying on hands gaue the guiſts of the Holy-Ghoſt to the beleeuers in Chriſt. This practiſe of the Apoſtles we finde, this we confeſſe, this we approue and allow. But of any Sacrament of confirmation we reade not, and therefore allow not. Againe, it was a lawdable cuſtome (in the primitiue Church) of Chriſtian parents, to bring their Children to the Biſhop, who examined them in the principles and fundamentall points of religion,cHeb. 6, 1. he asked thē reaſon of their faith, he inſtructed them further in the myſteries of godlineſſe: and that this action might hauehave the more reuerence and dignity, he laid his hands vponupon them, and prayed vntounto God for them, that hee would increaſe and continue the good things that he had begun in them.dConfirmation is no Sacrament. This impoſition of hands, with prayer to be ſtrengthned in the Holy-Ghoſt, and to hauehave increaſe of grace, corrupted with annointings, depraued with croſsings, and defiled with ſundry ſuperſtitions, is no Sacrament. Firſt, eueryevery Sacrament ſhould hauehave warrant and appointment from Chriſt, and a promiſe annexed vntounto it, but this hath none. 2. it hath no word of inſtitution in the Scripture, nor commandement to continue the vſe of it vntill the coming of Chriſt and end of the world, & therfore no Sacrament. For the word muſt be added to the element, and ſo it is made a Sacrament. True it is, they vſe a forged and counterfeit forme in their confirmation, I ſigne thee with the ſigne of the holy Croſſe and I confirme thee with the oyle of ſaluation, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy-Ghoſt. Theſe indeed are words, but no word of God: they ſhew an intollerable preſumption, not to be excuſed. But indeed a counterfet word is fit enough for a counterfet Sacrament, & there is a good agreement when both writing and ſeale are ſutable, that is, both forged. Thirdly, it wanteth an outward ſigne inſtituted by Chriſt. We read oftentimes that the Apoſtles vſed laying on of hands, we reade of no oyle or Chriſme.
Beſides, we know they gaue thereby, the miraculous guifts of the Holy-Ghoſt which now are ceaſed, as Acts 8. where we ſee, when Samaria was conuerted to the faith by preaching of Phillip, and baptized in the name of the Lord Ieſus, the Apoſtles ſent thither Peter & Iohn, who prayed for them,eActs 8, 5, 14 15, 1…, 17. That they might receiue the Holy-Ghoſt, (for as yet he was fallen downe on none of them) then laid they their hands on them, and they receiued the Holy Ghoſt. This confirmation thus vſed, had then a profitable vſe in the Church of God. But as the braſen ſerpent commanded byfNum. 21, 8.9 God, and ſet vp by Moyſes for good purpoſe, was afterward abuſed andf2 King. 18, 4 incenſe offered vntounto it, and laſtly was by that good king Hezekiah deſtroyed and demoliſhed: ſo popiſh confirmation hath many intollerable abuſes mingled with it, and ſundry fooliſh ceremonies, no better then apiſh toyes, accompanied with horrible ſuperſtition; as if it were inuented to bring the faith of Chriſt, the Sacramēts of the church, the worſhip of God, and all holy things into contempt. For firſt of all, the Biſhop that muſt play this play,The rites and ceremonies vſed in Confirmation. acteth, the matter with Stage-like ieſtures, he muſt breath with his ſtinking breath vponupon the pot or cruze wherein the chriſme or vnction is, and ſaluteth it with theſe gracious or rather graceleſſe words, Haile hol… Chriſme, making an abhominable Idoll of it, and ſpeaking to it as if he had breathed life into it. For the popiſsh religion carieth no reuerence with it, if there be not an Idoll ſet vp at one end of it. Secondly,Bellar. de ſ…cra. Confir. lib. 2. cap. 13. he ſtriketh him a gentle blow with his hand that commeth to be confirmed, to teach him patience, and to beare the Croſſe for Chriſts ſake: whereas himſelfe rather deſerueth to hauehave a ſound rap on his pate, for abuſing the party, the place, the people, God, and his Goſpell.
Thirdly, the childes forehead is bound about with a linnen ſwathing band, leaſt that the oyle ſhould runne downe, and ſo all the fatte were in the fire, and the grace of God loſt which was neuer obtained. Fourthly, neither head, nor forehead muſt bee waſhed ſeauen daies together after the annointing, to aſſure vsus (I think) when all is done, that it is but a fluttiſh and vnſauoury Sacrament. Fiftly, this ſuppoſed and counterfeit Sacrament muſt be giuen and receiued by ſuch as are faſting, to be ſure they ſhall not ſurfet at the taking of it, and that notwithſtanding all this preparation wee muſt looke for nothing but hungry ſtuffe: for otherwiſe here were enough to make a man ſpew and empty his ſtomacke. Laſtly, it is ſuch an holy bleſsing, that it muſt be beſtowed onelyonly on high daies and feaſtiuall times for feare of the contempt of this bable, as at the ſolemne feaſt of Eaſter, and eſpecially at Whitſontide, becauſe then the Apoſtles were forſooth firſt of all confirmed by God himſelfe. Heere is no talke of teaching youth the principles of religion, and of examining them how they profite in knowledge and vnderſtanding; heere is deepe ſilence touching theſe things, as if it were a needles matter, and altogether impertinent vntounto them. Moreouer, it is miniſtred in a ſtrange tongue that none vnderſtand what is ſpoken and meant: they call the oyle, the oyle of ſaluation: they account him no perfect Chriſtian that is not annointed by the Biſhop: they preferre it before baptiſme, becauſehCenſ…r. Colon d…al 11. pag. 326, 327. any of their Prieſts may baptiſe, nay priuate men, nay woemen in their ſuppoſed time of neceſsity, but Confirmation may bee giuen among them onelyonly by the hands of a Biſhop: and laſtly, they blow & hallow their oyle, that it may be made a ſpirituall ointment to purifie ſoule and body forſooth. Theſe errors are ſo groſſe, that of eueryevery one they may be ſeene: they are ſo palpable, that they may bee felt. Wherefore, ſeeing their confirmation is wroght by annointing, ſeeing it hath no word of God but a word of their owne, ſeeing they hauehave no commandement for it, nor promiſe of the preſence of the Holy-Ghoſt, and laſt of all ſeeing it hath many abuſes ioyned with it; we hauehave very iuſt cauſes to thruſt it out of this place and ranke of the Sacraments, & throw it downe from that high ſeat which it hath long vſurped. And ſo much the rather, becauſe ſome of the firſt and ſounder Schoolemen hauehave taught, that Confirmation as it is a Sacrament was not ordained, eyther by Chriſt or by his Apoſtles, but afterward in the counſell of Melda, Alex. Halenſ. part. 4. queſt. 24.