Faith Grounded Upon the Holy Scriptures Against the New Methodists, Part 3 · Chapter 12 – Chapter 13
CHAP. XII. That the Scripture doth no where aſſert the five pretended Sacraments which Rome adds to Baptiſm and the Lords-Supper.
I Come now to the Sacraments, the number of which they have increaſed, adding five to the two which we allow of.
The firſt is the Ceremonie of the Confirmation, where the Biſhop anoints the perſon baptized with Oyl and Balm conſecrated after a certain manner, giving him a light box on the ear, and making the ſigne of the Croſs, ſayeth, I ſigne thee with the Signe of the Croſs, and confirm thee with the Oyl or Chryſm of Salvation, In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoſt: All this to ſtrengthen him, that he may be the better able to reſiſt temptations. Where is it that the Scriptures orders or commands us this Ceremony? Certainly it ſo little agreeth with the Scripture that Alexandre and Bonaventure, two of the firſt and moſt famous Authors of their School held that it was inſtituted neither by Jeſus Chriſt, Biel in 4. Sent. diſt. 7.nor by his Apoſtles, as Gabriel Biel witneſneſſeth writing upon theſe Sentences. Others, ſeeing that it cannot be a Sacrament of the Chriſtian Church unleſs it had been ordained by the Lord, they wrack the Scriptures to finde it there. Dominic. a Sot. in 4. diſt. 7. art. 1.They produce ſome Teſtimonies, ſuch according to their own confeſſion, which without the Authority of their Church, who were not capable of ſhewing and concluding their Opinion. And firſt they remark that which is written in the Acts, Acts 8.17.that the Apoſtles laid their hands on thoſe who had been baptized in Samaria. But what hath this in common with the Roman Confirmation? Where is it there ſpoken of the Oyl which is the matter of it? From theſe words, I ſigne thee, &c. which are the form of it? of the increaſe of Juſtifying Grace, which is the end of it? for it doth not appear that the Apoſtles anointed with Oyl, or conſecrated with the Signe of the Croſe thoſe upon whom they layed their hands. And as to the end for which they layed their hands upon them, Acts 19.6it appears from the nineteenth Chapter, which was to communicate to them the extraordinary Grace of the Holy Ghoſt, as the gift of Tongues, and other the like things, which are very different from juſtifying Grace.
Secondly, The Impoſition of hands, Heb. 6.2.of which there is mention made in the Epiſtle to the Hebrews, not being accompanied with any anointing or viſible Conſecration, can ſerve for nothing to eſtabliſh the pretended Sacrament of the Roman confirmation, of which theſe things are the two eſſential parts.
Thirdly, Concerning Repentance, we agree that it is neceſſary, and that the Paſtors have Authority to forgive ſins to thoſe who repent, and to retain them to the impenitent according to that which the Lord ſaid to his Apoſtles, John 29.23.To all thoſe to whom you remit their ſins, they are remitted (or rather, ſhall be) and to whomſoever you retain them, they are retained. Only we deny, that ſuch an action is a Sacrament, and there appears nothing in the Scriptures which obligeth us to believe it.
Fourthly, For the Confeſſion, which they make part of this wonderful Sacrament, we believe that every faithful one is obliged to prove himſelf before he approacheth the Table of the Lord: 1 Cor. 11.28.For St. Paul orders it expreſly. But none of the Divine Authors preſcribes to any Chriſtian to go and reveal to a Prieſt all his ſins, yea, even his moſt ſecret ones, before he communicates at the Table of the Lord. 'Tis true, they alledge the words of St. James, James 5.16.Confeſs your faults one to another. But how far is this from their Auricular Confeſſion. Cajetan upon this paſſage.The Cardinal Cajetan, one of their moſt ſubtle and moſt famous Writers, and a great Adverſary of Luthers, being ſent Legat againſt him into Germany, anſwereth there for us: I ſpeak not here (ſaid he, commenting upon this paſſage in the City of Rome when he was above threeſcore years of age) of the Sacramental Confeſſion (as it appears in that which he ſayeth, Confeſs you one to the other. For the Sacramental Confeſſion is not done mutually from one to the other, but to the Prieſts only.) But of the Confeſſion by which we diſcover our ſelves mutually one to another that we are ſinners, to the end they may pray for us, and of the confeſſion of faults committed of the one part and the other to appeaſe and reconcile us one to another.
5ly, This ſame Cardinal confeſſeth ingeniouſly alſo, Eph. 5.32. Cajetan upon this paſſage.That that paſſage which he alledgeth in the 5 Chap. of the Epiſtle to the Epheſ. to demonſtrate that Marriage is a Sacrament, is nothing to the purpoſe. Wary Reader (ſaith Cajetan upon theſe words) St. Paul doth not furniſh you with any thing in this place to prove that Marriage is a Sacrament. For he ſaith not, this Sacrament, but this Myſtery is great, viz. of the words which St. Paul in the preceding Verſe alledged of Moſes. For this a man ſhall leave his father and his mother, & ſhall cleave unto his wife, and they two ſhall be one fleſh.
Sixthly, 1 Tim. 4.14. & 5.22. and 2 Tim. 1.6.As to the Orders we confeſs that the Apoſtles laid their hands upon thoſe whom they eſtabliſhed in charge, and that this Ceremony is holy and praiſe-worthy, and practiſed carefully amongſt us in ordaining our Paſtors. But that this action is one of the common and properly-named Sacraments of the New Teſtament, neither Scripture nor reaſon teacheth us.
Seventhly. There remains now the Extreme Unction, which with a viſible Oyl, accompanied with certain words, pronounced by the mouth of the Prieſt in form of Prayer, remits ſins to a ſick perſon, who is in extremity. And it is here that the Diſciples of the Methodiſts commonly triumph, alledging a paſſage of St. James upon this Subject, very expreſs (as they pretend) and they begin the moſt part of their Diſputes by this laſt piece of their Devotion, Jam. 5.14Is there any amongſt you that is ſick? (ſaith St. James) let him call for the Prieſts of the Church, and let them pray over him, and anoint him with Oyl in the Name of the Lord, & the prayer of faith ſhall ſave the ſick, and the Lord ſhall heal him; and if he have committed ſins they ſhall be forgiven him.
But let Cardinal Cajet. Cajetan upon this paſſage.anſwer once more for us. It appears (ſaith he) by theſe words of the Apoſtles, and by the effects, that theſe words were not ſpoken of the Sacramental Ʋnction, nor of the Extreme Ʋnction, but rather of the Ʋnction which the Lord Jeſus inſtituted in the Goſpel for the uſe of the diſeaſed. For the Text ſayeth not, Is any one ſick unto death? but plainly, Is any one ſick? and ſayeth that the healing of the ſick is an effect of it, and ſpeaks not of forgiveneſs of ſins, but conditionally; whereas this Extreme Ʋnction is not given but at the point of death, and tends directly (as its form ſignifieth) to the remiſſion of ſins. And beſides St. James ordains, that for one ſick body they ſhould call many Prieſts, as well to pray for, as to anoint them, which is different from the Extreme Ʋnction.
CHAP. XIII. The Scriptures doth not teach that Miniſters ſhould be exempted from the Subjection of Civil Powers, nor that the Biſhop of Rome hath any right over them in reſpect of Tempoporals.
I Do not ſee that they can reaſonably draw from the Scriptures the exemption of their Clergy, nor the Temporal Power of their Pope over the eſtates of Chriſtians.
Firſt, That which they alledge, the Lord ſaid to St. Peter, Mat. 17.25, 26.Of whom do the Kings of the earth take Tribute and Impoſts? is it of their Children or of Strangers? and St. Peter having anſwered of Strangers: Jeſus ſaith, then are their Children free. This I ſay, doth not prove that the Clerks are of divine right exempted from paying Tribute to the Magiſtrates. For firſt, 'tis not evident that the Tribute of the Drachmas, of which the Queſtion is, was payed to the Magiſtrate, and there is much more likelihood that it was the half Shekel which every Iſraelite at above twenty years of Age payed to God for the uſe of the Sanctuary according to the Ordinance of Moſes in the 30th of Exodus, Exod. 30.11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.which is nothing like theſe Tributes which the Magiſtrates raiſed. But although the ſame Queſtion ſhould be of a Civil Tribute 'tis clear that the Lord exempted none from it, not ſo much as himſelf. Now ſince the Son of God, even as he was Man was not of right ſubject to any Magiſtrate, this is not to ſay, that the Miniſters of the Church have the ſame right, ſeeing the great and infinite difference which is between their perſons and his. In a word, although the Apoſtles ought to rejoyce in this liberty by the beneficence of their Maſter, ſo long as he was on the earth; it doth not follow that they ſince his Aſcention into Heaven, nor thoſe who ſucceeded them in the Miniſtry of the Word ought always to enjoy the ſame exemption. For ſo long as he was upon the earth they were his Family according to Civil Law, following and ſerving him, and as Domeſtiques had part in this his priviledge. But ſince he is retired from the earth as to his humanity, neither they nor we are any more of his Family according to Civil Law. For as we are his Spiritual and Myſtical Family in reſpect of Religion, he gives us not this Priviledge. For then one might ſay that all Chriſtians muſt enjoy it ſince every one in this ſenſe is of the Family of the Lord.
Secondly, As to this power, let it be direct or indirect which thoſe of the Court of Rome attribute to the Pope over the Eſtates of Chriſtians, even in reſpect of Temporals, I think it not neceſſary to conſider that which they alledge from the Scriptures, to ground it upon; ſince they are things ſo weak, and ſo far from their purpoſe, that the greateſt and beſt part of our Adverſaries themſelves have rejected their Conſequences, and reject with us this pretended Authority of the Roman Seat, namely in this Kingdom, France.where thanks be to God, it hath not yet been eſtabliſhed.