The Badges of Christianity, Book 1 · Chapter 3
Chap. 3. That the parts of a Sacrament are partly outward and partly inward.
WE hauehave seene what a Sacrament is: nowe wee are to consider in it two things, first his parts, then his vses: for in handlinge these two pointes, wee shall see what is the nature of a sacrament. The partes of sacrament … are of two sortes, some outwarde, open, What are the parts of a Sacraments.sencible, earthly, visible, and signifying: some are inward, hidden, spirituall, heauenly, inuisible, and signified. For the nature of a Sacrament is bIren. lib. 4. cont. haeres. cap 34.partely earthly and partly heauenly. If we had been wholly cchrisost. hom. 83. in math.a spirit without body, he would giuegive vsus his gifts … without a body: but seeing we are soule and body he giueth v, his Sacraments, that so we may apprehend … gifts by sensible things. The outward part is one thing … the inward part is another thing: the outward is applyed to the body, the inward is applyed to the soule & conscience. This diuision and … on of parts dRom. 2. 28. 29.appeareth plainely, He is not a Iew which is one outward, neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Iew which is one within, and the circumcision is of the hart, in the spirit, not in the letter: where we see, he maketh circumcision to stand of 2. parts, part in the flesh and part in the heart, partly in the spirit and partly in the letter. Heereunto commeth eCol. 2. 11.that saying. … are circumcised with circumcision made without hands: so that there is a circumcision without, and there is an other within by the virtue of Christ. The same we may say of Baptisme there is a baptizing of the body, and there is a baptizing of the soule: the body is washed with water, the soule is clensed by the precious blood of our sauiour Christ, which is the hidden and misticall part of the Sacrament. This appeareth by many examples recorded in Scripture. Simon the sorcerer, though … were baptized with water, yet his hart was not right in the sight of God, he remained fAct 8. 13. 21.in the gall of bitternesse and in the bond of iniquity, so that albeit hee were baptized, yet he was not regenerated. The … were … of the g1. Cor. 101. 2. 3. 4. 5.outward signes, not of the … grace They were all baptized vntounto Moyses in that cloud and in that sea: they did … the same spirituall meate, they all drank the same spirituall drinke, yet with many of them God was not pleased. The … may be saide of Iudas one of the …, he did eate the Paschall lambe as well as the rest of the Apostles but he did not eate Christ (who is the … filed and without spot) is the other did. This is that also which Iohn the hMath. 3. 11.Baptist teacheth, Indeede I baptize you with water to amendment of life, but he that commeth after me is mightier then I, whoseshooes I am not worthy to beare, he shall baptize you with the holy ghost and with fire: where, as the … maketh two baptizers, himfelfe and Christ, so he … their actions, his own to wash with water, and the action of Christ to wash with the holy ghost. Neither neede we to seeke farre for reason, to perswade any to beleeue this truth, that the nature of a sacrament, is neither wholly outward nor wholly inward, but taketh part of …, seeing nothing can be a signe of itselfe, but a signe is a signe of an other thing, and seeing Gen. 17. Ex. …they are mysteries, they hauehave an hidden meaning and spirituall vnderstanding. If the … in Baptisme had not grace annexed vntounto it, it could not be a mistery. We see the signe, we see not the grace which is inuisible. Now let vsus come to the vses.
These parts though distinguished really one … another, Vse. 1.that the outward parts cannot be the inward, the earthly cannot be the heauenly, the seale cannot be the thing sealed, the token cannot be the thing betokened, nor contrarywise: (for this were to alter nature and to mingle heauen and earth together) yet in respect of the propoition betweene the signe and the thing signified, and of the coniunction of them to the faithful, which receiu both the one & thother, one part is affirmed of the other. For we must vnderstand that the Scriptur in regard of this vnion, speketh of the Sacraments two waies, to wit, properly and figuratiuely. Properly, … that which belongeth to the signe is given to the signe, and when the thinge … is giuen and applyed to the thing itselfe, and thus each part hath his owne, as Circumcision is called iGen. 17. 11.the signe of the couenant. And the blood of the lambe is called kExod. 12. 13.a signe: these are … … proper speaches, and without figure. Againe vvhen … saith, lLuc 22. 19. 20My body which is giuen for you, my blood … which is shed for many for remission of 1. Cor. 5. 7.sinnes, vve must vnderstand the words literally as they lye, figuratiuely, vvhen the signe is giuen to the thing signified, and called by the name of it, as Christ is called n1 Cor. 5. 7.the Passeouer: and the oIoh. 1. 29.lambe of God: his flesh is also saide to be meate indeede, and his blood drinke indeede: the holy spirit is called pEzek. 36. 25.water, or else the name of the thing signified is giuen to the signe, as bread is called the qMath. 26. 28body of Christ, the cup is called the new Testament. These speaches Cor. 11. 24.must be taken figuratiuely, and vnderstood by a chang of name according to the intention and meaning of the Holy-ghost: so that wee must beware that we do not take or mistake the signe for the thing, nor the thing for the signe, seeing the parts are distinguished in nature, though ioyned in the person.
Againe, albeit by gods ordinance these parts be so vnited, Vse. 2.that by taking of the signe the faithfull are made partakers of the thing signified, no lesse truely then the outward signes are receiued of our bodily senses: yet we must conceiue & consider, that these outward and inward parts remaine, distinct and vnconfounded, and therefore wee must take heede we take not one for another: we must not ascribe to much to the outward parts, and so take them for the inward, which hath beene the occasion of sundry errors from time to time. Some attribut too little to the outward sign, and some ascribe too much: both waies the Sacrament is abused and the partes are misapplied. Hence sprang as a ranke weed in the Lords corne, the doctrine of transubstantiation or carnall turning of the substance of bread into the body, whereby the signe is swallowed vp and the outward substance with them quite abolished, for their fained Christ hath consumed the outward signe, as the rich deuoureth and eateth the poore. Thus the signe is consumed & to little regarded. Others on the other side, cleaue to much too the outward signe, and rest in the externall worke, placing holinesse and remission of sinnes in the deed done: and thus the thing signified is little regarded and wholly abolished, rGen. 41. 4.as the euill fauored and lean-fleshed kine did eat vp the fat and wel-fauored: this was … dreame, and the other is mans deuise. For these men giuegive all to the outward receiuing, placing holynesse and remission of sinnes therein, and thinking themselues sure and secure when the bread and wine is taken at the Lords table. Thus all hypocrites, libertines, and carnall Gospellers do: for all the religion, deuotion, and godlinesse of these idle and ignorant professors, standeth in outward resorting to the Church, and in an outward taking of the communion of the body and blood of Christ, which is to make an Idol of the signe, and to flatter themselues in their euils to their own destruction. For albeit a man hauehave been baptized and hauehave receiued the Lords supper, yet if he liue wickedly and walke after his owne lusts, the Sacramentes shall auaile and aduantage him nothing at all, but further his condemnation. Lastly, hath the Sacrament some parts Vse. 3.outward and some inward, some seene and some not seene with bodily eies? Then it giueth occasion, both to parents to teach their children the meaning of these misteries and to declare vntounto them the ordinances of God, as likewise to children and the younger sort to aske and inquire of their parents, to heare and learne of them the doctrine of the Sacraments, thereby to know the mercifull promises that God hath made to his people. This appeareth sExod. 12. 26. 27. & ch. 13. 14. 15.directly, where the the fathers are forewarned ro teach their childrē the hidden mistery of the Passeouer, When your children aske you, what seruice is this ye keepe, then ye shal say, It is the sacrifice of the Lords passeouer, which passed ouer the houses of the children of Israell in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians and preserued our houses. So likewise Ch. 13. 14. speaking of separating & sanctifiing the firste borne for the seruice of God, he chargeth parents to whet this doctrine on their children and to instruct them, how God with a mighty hand and outstretched arme brought them out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Againe, tIosh. 4. 6. 7. 8 21. 22. 23.we see when the Lord had parted the waters of Iordan that the people might passe, hee commaunded Ioshua to set vppe 12. stones, in memoriall of the mighty and miraculous worke of God for his people against their enemies: and when their children should aske them in time to come, what was … by those stones, they should answer that the waters of Iordan were cut off before the Arke of the Couenant of the Lord. He would not onelyonly hauehave themselues to profit by … wonderfull workes, but to retaine the remembrance of them, he wold hauehave their posterity to know the cause and … thereof, and so g'orifie … name for euer. Heereunto we may fitly ioyne uPsal. 78. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.what the … …, I will open my mouth in a parable, I will declare high sentences of old which we hauehave heard and knowne, and our fathers hauehave told us, we will not hide them from their children, but to the generation to come we will shew the praises of the Lord, his power also and his wonderfull workes that he hath done: that the posterity might know it, and the children which should be borne should stand vp and declare it to their children, that they might set their hope on God and not forget the workes of God, but keepe his commaundements. All these things serue to this purpose, to shew that it is a duty and burden laid on the shoulders of all parents, to acquaint their children … the works of God, especially with the benefits of our redemption wrought by Christ for our saluation. If they aske the question, why infants are baptized and washed with water into the name of the holy Trinity, we must make plaine vntounto them the meaning of that mistery. We must say vntounto them, My children, aHow to teach our children the meaning of the Sacramentes.this is a signe of the Couenant of Gods mercy to vsus, and our … to God: it is a mistery of our saluation, and teacheth that being in our selues vncleane, vnrighteous, …, y, and sinful, our soules are washed by the blood of Christ euen as the water in Baptisme washeth our bodyes: … in the mercy of God is so much the more marueilous in our cies, insomuch as the … were entred into the couenant by cutting, lancing, and effusion of blood in circumcision Againe, before they come to yeares to receiue the holy Supper of the Lord, we must informe them at home, and declare the institution of that Sacrament and the comfortable vses therof to them, so they may afterward come to this Communion with better warrant of their worke, with greater comfort to themselues, & with lesse danger to their souls. We must teach them, that as the bread is broken and the Wine poured out, so the body of Christ was crucified and his blood shed for the remission of our sins: and that if we beleeue in the Lord Iesus, we are nourished in our souls to eternal life by the passion of Christ our Sauior, as certainly as our bodies are norished with the creaturs of bred … wine Notwithstanding, there is a generall defect of this duty in many parents, neither are children readye to enquire and learne at home, neither are parentes able to answere anye thing in these matters of God: way wardnesse in the one, and wordlines in the other, and ignoraunce in them both, hath taken away all care and conscience from them, touching these holy duties and heauenly misteries, so that neither the one teacheth nor the other learneth, neyther the child enquireth nor the father answereth.