The New Covenant, Book 1 · Chapter 4
CHAP. IIII. Of the firſt outward part of a Sacrament.
THe outward partes of a Sacrament are ſuch things, asaWhat outward parts are. vnderunder a certaine ſimilitude and ſikeneſſe do repreſent and ſignifie heauenly thinges, to aſſure vsus they are as truely prelent and offered vsus, as wee behold with our eyes, and receiue with our hands the earthly things giuen vntounto vsus. The outward parts of a Sacrament are in numberbFoure outward parts of a Sacrament. foure. Firſt the Miniſter: Secondly, the word of inſtitution. Thirdly, the ſigne. Fourthly, the receiuer. All theſe and eueryevery one of them are needful to the beeing and nature of a Sacrament: take them away or any of thē, and you take away the ſubſtance and bring in a nullity of the Sacrament. If there be no Miniſter, no word, no element, no receiuer: there is no Sacrament. If there be wanting eyther Miniſter to deliuer it or word to inſtitute it, or element to repreſent it, or receiuer to take it: wee cannot aſſure our ſelues to hauehave any Sacramēt of God, but rather a tradition and inuention of our owne. In this place I take the word [part] in a generall ſence and ſignification, and therefore do conclude in it, and comprehend vnderunder it, as well the Miniſters and receiuers to bee outward parts of a Sacrament, as the ſignes themſelues. All men do confeſſe that the ſignes are parts, becauſe they are materiall: but I vndertake to prooue the perſons both of him that deliuereth and of them that receiue to bee eſſentiall alſo. Beſides, the actions of the Miniſter, and the actions of the receiuer are both of them ſignificant (as is manifeſtly ſhewed) ſo that there is a fit reſemblance betweene the workes of the Miniſter and the workes of God the Father; for God performeth the truth of that inwardly which the Miniſter doth outwardly: and the actions of the receiuer doe ſerue to inſtruct the faithfull what they are to doe by faith. Wherefore if the ſignes bee partes, becauſe they are ſignificant: then wee are to receiue the Miniſters and receiuers as parts alſo, becauſe whatſoeuer they do is ſignificant alſo.
Firſt then,cThe Miniſter is the firſt outward part of a Sacrament. there is required a Miniſter lawfully called, choſen, and ordained, hauing at the leaſt the approbation and allowance of the Church to pronounce the words of inſtitution, and to deliuer the outward ſignes to the receiuers. They are not makers of the Sacrament, but Miniſters: not authors, but adminiſtrators: not deuiſers, but deliuerers. Earthly Princes hauehave their letters patents, and their great ſeales, and keepers of the ſame: if another ſhall ſet to the ſeale that is not appointed the keeper thereof, is it not made an heinous crime worthy of heauy puniſhment? So the Lord is a mighty Prince, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords: he hath appointed his ſeales, to ſeale vp his promiſe of forgiueneſſe of ſinnes and eternall life: and he hath ordained his Officers as it were keepers of his great ſeales. God publiſheth ſaluation and pardon to all beleeuers by his worde as by his letters pattents, and hee addeth baptiſme and the Lords Supper as two broad ſeales for greater aſſurance and confirmation, and appointeth the Miniſters to bee keepers thereof.
Whoſoeuer therefore ſhall preſume to ſet to any of theſe ſeales without warrant without a calling, without a function and direction from God himſelfe being no officer, no Miniſter, no keeper of them, prophaneth theſe ſeales, and ſetteth to a counterfeit ſtampe. For as no man may preachdRom. 10, 15. except hee bee ſent: ſo no man may adminiſter the Sacraments except he be called. This is it theeHeb. 5, 4.5. Apoſtle teacheth. No man taketh this honor vntounto himſelfe, but he that is called of God as was Aaron: and Chriſt tooke not to himſelfe this honor to bee made the high Prieſt: but hee that ſaide vntounto him. Thou art my Sonne, this day begat I thee, gaue it to him. Now, to miniſter the Sacraments, is an honour in the Church, which none can take to himſelf at his own pleaſure, but God muſt giuegive it. They ſhould hauehave in their owne conſciences a witneſſe of Gods calling them to this office and honour. Wherefore the ſacred functions ordained of God muſt not be prophaned by voluntary officers and vſurped offices: no man muſt take vponupon him without a lawfull calling to teach theſe holy myſteries. Of theſe thefIer. 23, 21. Lord complaineth, I hauehave not ſent theſe Prophets, yet they ranne: I hauehave not ſpoken to them, and yet they propheſied. Thus theſe intruders did thruſt their ſickle into other mens corne.
The reaſonsgReaſons why the Miniſters onelyonly are to adminiſter the Sadraments. why the Miniſters and no others are to intermedle with the Sacraments, are very apparant. Firſt, becauſe eueryevery part and member of the Church hath his eſpeciall office and his proper guifts to execute his calling: we ſee in a campe, the Souldiers in warre hauehave their ſtanding-place in ſight of their captaine who hath choſen thē to be warriors: ſo in the Church muſt eueryevery one keep his ſeuerall calling in the preſence of God, who hath in wiſedome and mercy called him therevnto. Wee ſee in the naturall diſpoſition of the body,hSee Booke 2, cap. 3. eueryevery member hath his ſpeciall vſe, the eye to ſee, the hand to handle, the foote to walke, the eare to heare, and if one member ſhould incroach vponupon the office of another, it muſt needs tend to the deſtruction of the body. We ſee in the gouernment of an houſe and family, the husband and wife, the father and ſonne, the maiſter and ſeruant know & acknowledge their places to rule and to obey, to command and to bee commanded, without intruding themſelues, and incroching vponupon the function, as it were vponupon the free-holde of another. If wee would aſcend a ſtep higher, wee obſerue in the affaires of ſtate and matters of the commonwealth, eueryevery man doth keepe within his owne liſtes and limits, and no man dare preſume to charge any man or enterpriſe any thing in the Princes name & authority, without a ſufficient warrant from the Prince himſelfe: ſo may no man take vponupon him any functions in the Church, vnleſſe he hauehave a commiſsion and commandement from the Lord. For as the Prince appointeth by what officers he will bee ſerued: ſo is it in the offices and officers of the Church, God hath placed and ordained the Apoſtle to plant, the Euangeliſt to ſecond and aſſiſt, the Prophet to propheſie, the Paſtor to feede, and hath ſet eueryevery onek1 Cor. 12, 12, 14. in his proper place and ſtanding as it were in his watch-tower, out of which he muſt not wander and depart; It is a generall & common rule ſet downe by the Apoſtle, Let eueryevery man abide in the ſame vocation wherein hee was called: and againe afterwards, Let eueryevery man wherein he was called, therein abide with God. Whoſoeuer therefore medleth without a lawfull vocation, as it were violently inuadeth another mans poſſeſsion, as Ahab did the Vineyard of Naboth: and cannot do it without the checke & controlment of Chriſt Ieſus, who is thelIoſh. 5, 14. Captaine of his owne hoaſt,mEph. 4, 15. the head of his owne body, thenHeb. 3, 5, 6. Lord of his owne houſe, and theoReuel. 12, 5. great King of his owne Church. Againe, Chriſt the Prophet and teacher of his Church, and the Prince of Paſtors, hath committed the office of adminiſtration of the Sacraments to thoſe alone to whō he hath committed the diſpenſation of his word and preaching of the Goſpel: therfore if any other ſhall ſet to the ſeale, it is no true ſeale but a counterfeit ſtampe. The truth of this appeareth by the words of Iohn Baptiſt: Indeed I baptize with water, that is, I that am appointed a teacher in the Church, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. And Paul beeing conuerted and called to preach, & to beare the name of God to the Gentiles, did without further word, warrant, or commandement, miniſter the Sacraments. Now then as we hauehave ſeene the truth of the doctrin, let vsus conſider the vſes therof. Firſt, is the Miniſter of the ſubſtance of the Sacram. and a principall part of Chriſts inſtitution? Then he muſt conſider, it is his duty, being authoriſed frō God & by his Church, to ſanctifie the outward elements and adminiſter the ſame, to deliuer the outward ſignes & offer thē to the receiuers. His workes therefore are to put apart & conſecrate the ſigns to an holy vſe, to open & declare the couenant of God, to pray for his bleſsing promiſed vponupon his owne ordinance, to giuegive thanks for the bleſſed worke of our redemption, to offer, giuegive and deliuer aright the cretures ſo ſanctified, in baptiſme to ſprinkle with water & waſh the body to be baptized: & in the Lords ſupper to deliuer the bread to be eaten, and the wine to bee drunke, to the ſpirituall nouriſhment of the Church. So then the Miniſter ought not to refuſe to baptize ſuch as are broght vntounto him. Shall the ſeruant refuſe to doe the worke of his maiſter? When Chriſt the maiſter ſhall ſay, Goe and baptize: ſhall he anſwere againe, I will not? when the Centurion ſaith to his ſeruant, Goe, he goeth & when he ſaith Come he cometh. If the Lord keeper of the Kings broad ſeale ſhould proudly and preſumptuouſly diſdaine to ſet the ſeale to the Princes letters pattents, were he not well worthy to bee diſplaced and remoued? So if the Miniſter through enuy, or hatred, or any other ſiniſter affection, which ought not to be harbored in their breaſt, ſhall refuſe to put the ſeale to the Lords Couenant, and hinder little children from comming to Chriſt, he deſerueth iuſtly to be diſplaced and to beare office no longer in the citty of God, but to be remoued for his contempt,q1 King. 2, 35 as Salomon put downe Abiathar.
Vſe 2 Secondly, is it a neceſſary point of the Sacrament that it be miniſtred by a Miniſter? Then it condemneth all thoſe that put theſe ſeales into a wrong hand, and all priuate perſons that violently ruſh vponupon this calling, and take vponupon them to meddle with the adminiſtration of the Sacraments with vnwaſhen hands, ſeeing the diſpenſatiō of the word and Sacraments is ſo linked, annexed, and ioyned together by God, that a deniall of licence to do the one is a deniall to do the other, and contrariwiſe the licence to one is licence to the other. Chriſt neuer gaue to priuate perſons any ſuch commandement, hee neuer committed to them any ſuch office, hee neuer commended to their care theſe holy actions, he neuer called thē to this honor, he neuer laide vponupon them this charge; and therefore they hauehave no part nor fellowſhip in this buſineſſe. If notwithſtanding theſe reſtrainings of authority from them, they will run and ruſh forward, where they ſhould hang backeward, their ſinne lieth at the doore, their puniſhment haſtneth and their iudgement ſleepeth not.
Laſtly, if the Miniſter be an outward part of the Sacrament, Vſe 3 we muſt beware and take heede wee aſcribe not to the Miniſter that which is proper to Chriſt, and ſo rob him of the honour due vntounto his name. The Miniſter may offer the ſigne, hee cannot beſtow the thing ſignified: hee may baptize the bodye, hee cannot cleanſe the ſoule: hee may deliuer the bread and wine, hee cannot giuegive the body and blood of Chriſt: Iohn may waſh with water, hee cannot giuegive the Spirite. Man indeed pronounceth the word, but God ſealeth vp his grace in the heart: man ſprinkleth the bodye with water, but God maketh cleane the ſoule by the blood of Chriſt: man may take away the filth of the fleſh, but Chriſt muſt purge the conſcience from dead works, who is that bleſſed Lambe of God thatrIohn 1, 29. taketh away the ſins of the world. For as Paul ſ1 Cor. 3, 6.planteth and Apollos watereth, but God giueth the increaſe: ſo the Miniſter offereth the element and outward ſigne, but God giueth the heauenly grace. It belongeth to the Miniſter to handle the externall part: it belongeth as a peculiar dignity to Chriſt to beſtow grace, to giuegive faith, regeneration,tMat. 3, 11. and forgiueneſſe of ſinnes, and to baptize with the Holy-Ghoſt. This truth Iohn confeſſeth, I baptize with water, but one commeth after mee, who is mightier then I, he ſhall baptize you with the Holy-Ghoſt. Where we ſee, he maketh a flat oppoſition betweene himſelfe and Chriſt, betweene his baptiſme and the baptiſme of Chriſt. As on the one ſide wee muſt take heede of the contempt of him that teacheth and miniſtreth the Sacraments, becauſe the contempt of the word & Sacraments doth neceſſarily follow the contempt of his perſon: ſo we muſt beware we attribute or giuegive not to him more thē his right, leſt the power of the word & force of the Sacraments be attributed to his perſon, whereby men rob God of his glory, & ſpoile themſelues of the fruite of them both. This was it wherein then1 Cor. 1, 22. Corinthians offended, when they ſaid, I am Pauls, I am Apollos, I am Cephas, I am Chriſts. Wherefore to keepe a golden meane betweene too much and too little, we muſt doe as if a Prince ſhould ſend vsus ſome preſent by one of the meaneſt meſſengers of his houſe, we would receiue him fauourably and entertaine him honourably for the guifts ſake which he bringeth vntounto vsus: but the guift it ſelfe we would receiue for the Kings ſake, from whom it was ſent: So it becommeth eueryevery one of vsus to doe, God hath committed to his meſſengers and Miniſters the word of reconciliation, we muſt hauehave them in ſingular louelove for their workes ſake that labour among vsus, but the worde & Sacraments we muſt receiue for the Lords ſake from whō they come. Thus much of the firſt outward part, to wit, the Miniſter.