The Sum of Christian Religion, Aphorisms · Article 8
ARTICLE. VIII. Of the Sacraments in generall.
I. WE judge the generall doctrine of the Sacraments to be both profitable and needfull; for, without this, we cannot know why Baptiſme and the Lords Supper are Sacraments; beſides, it gives a great light to the particular doctrine of each Sacrament, by which we may avoid divers errours, leſt, by giving them too little, we eſteeme them but bare Ceremonies; and by giving them too much, we transforme them into Idols; which will neceſſarily be, if we do not carefully obſerve what Sacraments are, and why inſtituted by God, and what is their uſe and end: for, Eccleſiaſticall ſtories tell us, that the Pope could not eſtabliſh Tranſubſtantiation, untill he had overthrowne the nature, efficacy, and uſe of Sacraments.
II. Sacraments are ſignes of the Covenant, or of the promiſe of (a) grace, inſtituted by God for the confirmation of our (b) faith.
Teſtimonies of Scripture.
(a) Gen. 17.11. And you ſhall circumciſe the fleſh of your fore-skin; and it ſhall be a ſigne of the Covenant betweene me and you.
(b) Rom. 4.11. And he received the ſigne of Circumciſion, the ſeale of righteouſneſſe by faith in his fore-skin.
Sacraments are not onelyonly notes of profeſſion betweene men, as ſome imagine; but they are rather ſignes and teſtimonies of Gods will towards us, by which God moveth the heart to beleeve; as it is in the Apology of the Auguſtan Confeſſion, Tit. De uſu Sacramenti.
III. Sacraments conſiſt of the Element and (a) Word, or of externall ſignes, and the promiſes of ſpirituall grace; which grace in the Word, and in all Sacraments is one; to wit, Chriſt with all his (b) benefits: for there is one Chriſt, yeſterday, to day, and for (c) ever; and there is one communion of Saints, from the beginning of the world to the (d) end, which is that ſpirituall union that is betweene Chriſt and the Saints, and of the Saints among themſelves, to the ſame love by the holy Spirit, in Chriſt as the Head, and in us as his members, in whom he dwels: although this one communion, according to the diverſity of ſignes, is diverſly called and repreſented in diverſe Sacraments.
Teſtimonies of Scripture, and of others.
(a) Apologia Auguſt. Confeſ. Tit. De uſu Sacramenti, &c. Sacraments are ſignes of Gods will towards us, and not only ſignes of men among themſelves: And they define Sacraments rightly in the New Teſtament, to be ſignes of grace. And, becauſe two things are in Sacraments, the Signe and the Word; the Word in the New Teſtament, is the promiſe of the remiſſion of ſins.
(b) Ibidem. The ſame is the effect of the Word and Sacrament; as it is excellently ſaid by Auſtine, The Sacrament is the viſible Word; becauſe the ceremony is received by the eye, and is as it were the picture of the Word, ſignifying the ſame thing that the Word doth; wherefore the effect of both is the ſame.
(c) Heb. 13.8. Jeſus Chriſt, yeſterday, to day, and the ſame for ever.
1 Cor. 8.6. We have one God the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him, and one Lord Jeſus Chriſt, by whom are all things, and we by him.
(d) 1 Cor. 10.4. All did eate the ſame ſpirituall food, and all did drinke the ſame ſpirituall drinke; for they dranke of the ſpirituall Rock which followed them, and that Rock was Chriſt.
1 Cor. 12.13. By one Spirit we are all baptiſed into one body, both Jews and Greeks; and have beene all made to drink into one Spirit.
Epheſ. 1.4, 5. He elected us in him before the foundation of the world was laid: and hath predeſtinated us unto the adoption of children by Jeſus Chriſt to himſelfe, according to the good pleaſure of his will.
IV. The ſpirituall grace, or the thing ſignified, is with the ſignes received in the true uſe of the Sacrament; which is, when, with true faith and converſion to God, the Sacrament is (a) received: for, God ſo inſtituted the Sacraments, that the ſignes, ordained to confirme our faith, ſhould be received out of the hand of the Miniſter; the promiſe annexed to the ſignes, and ſpirituall grace it ſelf promiſed, ſhould be received by faith from (b) God; as the promiſe cannot be received but by faith. Hence the Sacraments are not availeable to thoſe that are without faith and converſion.
Teſtimonies of Scripture, and of others.
(a) John 1.26, 33. I baptiſe you with water, but he ſtandeth in the midſt of you whom yee know not; he it is who baptiſeth with the holy Ghoſt.
1 Cor. 3.6. I have planted, Apollo hath watered; but God gives the increaſe.
(b) Rom. 2.25. But if thou breakeſt the Law, thy circumciſion is become uncircumciſion.
1 Cor. 11.20. When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eate the Lords Supper.
Apol. Auguſt. Confeſ. Tit. De uſu Sacram. Therefore, as the promiſe is ineffectuall, if it be not received by faith; ſo the Ceremonie is unprofitable, if faith be not added, which truly aſſureth us, that here remiſſion of ſins is proffered.
V. Here is the true uſe of Sacraments, when the Sacramentall ſignes are received with true faith and (a) repentance, and are directed to that end, for which they were ordained by God.
Teſtimonies of Scripture, and of others.
(a) Mark 16.16. He that beleeveth and is baptiſed, ſhall be ſaved.
Rom. 2.25. Circumciſion indeed availeth, if thou fulfill the Law.
Apol. Auguſt. Confeſ. De Sacram. &c. Therefore, we teach, that in the uſe of the Sacraments faith is required, which may beleeve theſe promiſes, and may receive the things promiſed, which are there offered in the Sacrament: and it is a moſt plaine and firme reaſon, that the promiſe is uſeleſſe, if it be not received by faith.
Idem. De uſu Sacram. And ſuch an uſe of the Sacrament is the worſhip of the New Teſtament, when faith quickneth the affrighted ſoule,
Idem. But that faith acknowledgeth mercy, and this is the principall uſe of the Sacrament.
VI. By reaſon of the Sacramentall ſignification, obſignation, and exhibition of things by ſignes, it comes to paſſe, that oftentimes the ſignes do retaine the names of the things ſignified; which phraſe is called Sacramentall.
Teſtimonies of Scripture, and of others.
Gen. 17.18. This is my Covenant.
Verſe 11. This ſhall be the ſigne of the Covenant betweene me and you.
Exod. 12.11. This is the Lords Paſſeover.
1 Cor. 11.24, 25. This is my Body. This Cup is the New Teſtament in my blood.
Auguſt. Ad Bonifac. Epiſt. 23. If Sacraments had not a certaine ſimilitude of theſe things, of which they are Sacraments, they could not be Sacraments at all; and by reaſon of this ſimilitude, many times they receive the names of the things themſelves.
Idem. Tom. 4. in Levit. quaeſt. 57. The thing which ſignifieth is wont to be called by the name of that thing which it ſignifieth; as it is written, The ſeven ſheaves are ſeven yeares.
VII. We therefore reject theſe truly Sacramentarian errors, which are partly Papiſticall and partly Ubiquitarian: as, 1. That there is no need of the generall doctrine of Sacraments. 2. That Sacraments are not fully, but onelyonly in ſome ſort, defined by the efficient and ſmall cauſe, or by their effects; as the Apology of Exfurt teacheth. 3. That they are not the Seales of the promiſes of grace; nor do they confirme our faith, as the Jeſuits and Anabaptiſts contend. 4. That they containe juſtifying grace in them, as it were the pitchers or veſſels thereof: that they are the inſtruments of juſtification by conferring it. 5. That by their force they conferre juſtifying grace, by the work wrought; as they ſay. 6. That there is not the ſame ſpirituall grace in the Word, and in all the Sacraments, nor the ſame communion of Chriſt. 7. That the old Sacraments were bare ſignes, without the true exhibition of the things themſelves in their true uſe. 8. That the ſpirituall things ſignified, no leſſe then the ſignes ſignifying, are carried in, and diſpenſed by the hands of the Miniſter. 8. That ſpirituall things, are received by the wicked, even without faith. 9. That there are no phraſes figurative and Sacramentall, but all proper in the Sacraments. 10. That there are ſeven, or more Sacraments then the two, of Baptiſm and the Lords Supper, inſtituted by God.