The New Covenant, Book 1 · Chapter 20
CHAP. XX. That Orders are no Sacraments.
BY Orders we muſt vnderſtand the offices and miniſtry of the Church,aLumb ſent. li. 4. diſt. 24 ca. 3. as alſo Peter Lumbard doth. We confeſſe when Chriſt led captiuity captiue, he gaue guifts vntounto men,bEpheſ. 4, 11. and ordained, Some to be Apoſtles, ſome Prophets, and ſome Euangeliſts, and ſome Paſtors and teachers for the repairing of the Saints, for the worke of the miniſtry, and for the edification of the body of Chriſt. By theſe hee declareth his will vntounto vsus, he gathereth together his ſcattered ſheepe, and publiſheth the glad tydings of ſaluation, as Ier. 7. I hauehave ſent vntounto you all my ſeruants the Prophets, riſing vp early eueryevery day. Ier. 7 25. Luke 10, 16.And Chriſt our Sauiour ſaith, He that heareth you, heareth me: and he that deſpiſeth you, deſpiſeth me, and he that deſpiſeth mee, deſpiſeth him that ſent mee. And the Apoſtle Paul teacheth that God was in Chriſt, 2 Cor. 5, 19, 20.and reconciled the world to himſelfe, not imputing their ſinnes vntounto them, and hath committed to vsus the word of reconciliation: Now then are wee Ambaſſadours for Chriſt, as though God did beſeech you through vsus, we pray you in Chriſts ſtead to be reconciled to God. This wee hold, this we beleeue, this we teach touching the degrees, orders, and offices of the miniſtry of the Goſpell.
cSentent. lib. 4. diſt. 24. cap 1.But the popiſh orders of the popiſh Church, they ſay are ſeauen, whereof ſome are greater and higher offices, ſome are lower, leſſer, and inferior. The greater are three, the office of Prieſt-hood to offer vp the ſacrifice of the body and blood of Chriſt vponupon the Altar: of Deaconſhip, to aſsiſt the Prieſts in all things which are done in the Sacraments, to bring in the oblations, to ſet them vponupon the Altar, to couer it with cloathes, to beare the Croſſe, and to reade the Goſpell and Epiſtle to the people: of the Subdeacons, to bring the chalice and patten, to bring the cruet with water and the towell to the Altar, & to poure out water to waſh their hands. Theſe are their higher Offices aboue the reſt, as the higher trees among the lower ſhrubs. The leſſer orders are foure in number. Firſt, of doore-keepers, theſe receiue the keyes of the Church doore to open the ſame. Secondly of readers, to reade the Bible to the people. Thirdly of Exorciſtes, to call vponupon the name of the Lord, ouer ſuch as hauehave vncleane ſpirites, adiuring and coniuring them to come out in the name of God: which power of commanding euill ſpirits is ceaſed in the Church. Laſtly, Acolythes, to prepare and carry torches and tapers when the Goſpell is read to the people, or the ſacrifice is to be offered.
Theſe ſeauen popiſh orders, or rather plaine diſorders and confuſions, we cannot receiuedReaſons rendred why orders are no Sacraments. into the number of Sacraments of the Church. For firſt, orders are ſo fruitefull, that this Bird hath hatched ſeauen young ones. This Sacrament is ſo rich, ſo ranke, ſo riotous, that it hath ingendered and brought forth ſeauen petty and pretty Sacraments, and therfore theſe being numbred and patched vp to the former, we ſhould hauehave 13. Sacraments. A goodly brood of a gallant egge. For if eueryevery one of theſe orders of doore-keepers, readers, exorciſtes, Acolythes, ſubdeacons, deacons, and Prieſts be Sacraments: we ſhould multiply the number of Sacraments according to the number of theſe orders, and ſo indeed of ſeauen wee ſhould hauehave 13. Sacraments, which were a very diſorderly order, or if you liſt to call it, an orderly diſorder.
And ſo Peter Lumbard maiſter of the Sentences,eSent lib. 4. diſt. 24, cap. 1. calleth not orders a Sacrament as ſpeaking of one, but Sacraments as ſpeaking of many, ſaying, Orders are called Sacraments, becauſe in receiuing of them grace is conferred, which is repreſented by thoſe things that are there performed. Neyther can they ſay they all make but one Sacrament, ſeeing they are diſtinct offices one from another, diuers in offices, in inſtitution, in calling, in ordination, in ceremonies, and in forme of conſecration: ſo that they may by as good right and as great reaſon make baptiſme and the Lordes Supper one Sacrament, as all theſe orders, ſo diuers and diſtinct the one from the other.
Secondly, Sacraments hauehave their inſtitution from Chriſt: Orders hauehave not their inſtitution from Chriſt to bee Sacraments of the Church: therefore Orders are no Sacrament. Nay as they are retained and vſed in the Church of Rome, they are no ordinance or inſtitution of Chriſt at all. For touching the offices of Prieſt-hood to offer vp the body of Chriſt for the quicke and dead: of deacons to ſerue theſe Baals Prieſts at their Idolatrous altars: of ſubdeacons, of readers, and of the reſt, they are not found in Scripture, neyther were ordained by the Apoſtles, neither were they receiued into the Church for many yeares after Chriſt and his Apoſtles. The new Teſtament as it doth acknowledge no other ſacrificer and ſacrifice but Chriſt, ſo it admitteth no Prieſts, no Prieſt-hood, but ſpirituall Prieſts and a ſpirituall Prieſt-hood to offer vp ſpirituall ſacrifices of praiſe & thankſgiuing vntounto God, as appeareth:fReuel. 1, 6. 1 Pet. 2, 5.9. Chriſt hath waſhed vsus from our ſinnes in his blood, and made vsus Kings and Priests vntounto God euen his Father. And the Apoſtle Peter in his firſt Epiſtle, Chap. 2. ſaith, Ye alſo as liuely stones be made a ſpirituall houſe, an holy Priest-hood, to offer vp ſpirituall ſacrifices acceptable to God by Ieſus Chriſt. And againe afterward, Ye are a choſen generation, a royall Prieſthood, an holy Nation, a people ſet at liberty, that yee ſhould ſhew foorth the vertues of him that hath called you out of darkeneſſe into his maruailous light. Whoſoeuer bringeth in another Prieſt-hood then this, and maketh new Prieſts, aboliſheth as much as in him lyeth the Prieſt-hood of Chriſt. Againe, what will they ſay of offices and dignities in the Church greater then theſe, the office of Pope, of Cardinal, of Patriarch, and the reſt of that vnholy hierarchy? Will they diſcharge and cut off theſe from beeing Sacraments, and aduance the baſer orders of hedge-Prieſts, and dumbe Deacons to ſo high a dignity? What? Do they abaſe and diſgrace thoſe greater places, and thinke their Popes and Cardinals not worthy of that honour and authority? Or do they thinke this Sacrament too vile and baſe to agree to thoſe Prince-like dignities of the Church? Or dare they preferre their Prieſt-hood, their Readers, their Deacons, their doore-keepers, their dog-keepers, and the reſt of that rabble before the Popedome, the Cardinalſhip, the Patriarchſhip? Is not this high treaſon againſt their holy father, and petty treaſon againſt the Cardinals and other of that generation? Laſtly, Sacraments muſt hauehave an outward element and word of inſtitution, as hath beene often declared and prooued: but their orders hauehave neither outward element, nor word of inſtitution: therefore Orders are no Sacraments. Seeing therefore they can ſhew no material ſigne added to the promiſe, nor gracious promiſe added to the ſigne: there can be no Sacrament of orders to ſeale vp and aſſure any mercy of God granted vntounto vsus. To omit that reaſon, which we might preſſe vponupon them, namely, that Orders are peculiar and proper to the Miniſtry, and are no ſanctified inſtrument to apply any generall and common grace of the Church. Wherefore, inaſmuch as Orders hauehave neither outward ſigne, nor promiſe of grace, nor inſtitution from Chriſt, but diſgrace the higher dignities of their Church, and ouerthrow their owne choſen number of ſeauen Sacraments: we conclude neceſſarily from theſe premiſes, that orders are no Sacrament.