Popery Anatomized, Section 14
SECTION XIV. Of Extreme Ʋnction, and whither it be a Sacrament?
Master Gilbert Brown.
SIxthly, our doctrine is, to make the Prieſts of the Church to anoint the ſick with oyl, in the Name of our Lord, and to pray over him, becauſe it is the doctrine of the Apoſtles, as we have in S. James in theſe words, Is any ſick among you, let him bring in the Priests of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oyl in the Name of our Lord; and the prayer of faith ſhal ſave the ſick, and our Lord ſhal lift him up: and if he be in ſins, they ſhal be remitted him *James 4.15. Auguſt. tom. 4. ſuper Levit. quaeſt. 84.. And becauſe we find here an external form, which is the anointing with oyl, of an internal grace, which is remiſſion of ſins; therefore we ſay it is a Sacrament. Now take from theſe places the vain ſubterfuges of our new men, that will have him a Mediciner for the body in this, and not for the ſoul, the matter will be plain of it ſelf.
M. John Welſch his Reply.
As to your doctrine of anointing of the ſick with oyl, and that not by every man, but by a Prieſt; not in all ſickneſſes, but in the extremity of death: not with every oyl, but with oyl conſecrated by the Biſhop: (which Bellarmin makes eſſential to this Sacrament, cap. 7. de extr. unctione) and that not all the parts and members of the body, but the five organs of the ſenſes, and the reins and feet: and that by this form of words, Let God forgive thee whatſoever thou haſt ſinned, by the ſight, hearing, ſmelling, &c. by this holy unction, and his most godly mercy. The which you will have to have two effects. The one, the health of the body, if it be expedient for the ſoul: the other, remiſſion of the relicks of ſins that remains: and this ye make to be one of your Sacraments. And for this purpoſe ye only bring one teſtimony of Scripture. So that all the ſhow of warrant you can pick out of the Scripture, is this only place of James. For I ſuppoſe with Bellarmin, and ſundry others, you have ſeen that that place of Mark 6.13. which is alſo alledged by the Council of Trent for the confirmation of this doctrine, would carry no ſhow to make any thing for you, and therefore it may be you have omitted it. But this place ſerves nothing for your purpoſe.
For firſt, I ſay, this was a ceremonie annexed to the miraculous gift of healing, as is plain, both by the text uſing the word foreign, and the Lord will lift him up, which is properly ſpoken of the health of the bodie: and alſo by that place of Mark 6.13. where it is written, that the Apoſtles anointed many ſick with oyl, and they healed them. The which gift was not only given to the Apoſtles, but alſo to the very Churches, as is plain of the 1. Corinth. 12. Unto another is given the gift of healing, &c. Now ſeeing this extraordinary gift is ceaſed in the Church of God, wherefore will you ſuperſtitiouſly uſe the ceremonie? So either avow, M. Gilbert, that your Prieſts have this miraculous gift of healing, which I ſuppoſe ye will not, or elſe leave off the ceremonie.
Secondly, by this argument ye may as wel make all the reſt of the ceremonies (which our Savior and his Apoſtles, Peter and Paul, and the believers in the primitive Church uſed toward the ſick, blind, lame and dead) Sacraments. As the laying on of hands, Mark 16.18. which had both a command and a promiſe joyned with it, anointing of the eyes of the blind with clay, John 9.6. waſhing in the pool of Siloam, &c. John 5. Mat. 9.29. Acts 3.6. & 20.10. For why ſhould not their examples be as well followed, as the example of the Elders of the primitive Church? And ſeeing you uſe not theſe ceremonies, becauſe ye want the miraculous gift, which was joyned with them, why do ye uſe this ceremonie ſuperſtitiouſly, ſeeing ye want this gift alſo?
Thirdly, I ſay, this place can make nothing for your doctrine: for this place ſaith, Call the Elders of the Church, and let them, &c. but you call for a ſacrificing Prieſt. This text ſaith in the plural number, Call for the Elders: your doctrine ſaith, one Prieſt is ſufficient. This place ſpeaks of oyl, not mentioning a ſyllable of conſecration, bleſſing of it by the Biſhop, and that nine-fold ſalutation that ye give unto it, Hail, O holy oyl, with the bowing of the knee, and other ceremonies. There is not a ſyllable in this, nor in any other Scripture, that ſpeaks of theſe things, and yet your doctrine will have all theſe ceremonies. This place ſaith, And the prayer of faith ſhal ſave the ſick: and you attribut it to the ointment. This place puts no difference of ſickneſs: but your doctrine is, that none be anointed, but he who is lying in the bed, and at the point of death. This place only ſpecifieth the anointing of the ſick, ſome of you reckons, as the Council of Florentine, ſeven parts: ſome the five ſenſes, as neceſſary. And therefore this moved Thomas of Aquin, lib. 4. ſent. 4. diſt. 23. quaeſt. to ſay, That the form of this Sacrament is not extant in the Scripture. Now if it be not extant in the Scripture, what to do have we with it, ſeeing the Scripture is able to make a man wiſe unto ſalvation, and to make the man of God perfect in every good work?
Fourthly, Beda, Ecumenius, and Theophylactus in their Commentaries upon theſe places, and Thomas Waldenſis, lib. 2. de ſacr. & Alphonſus de Caſtro, de haereſibus. two archpapiſts affirms, that in the 6. of Mark, & 5. of James, the ſelf-ſame unction and anointing is meaned. But Bellarmin de extr. unct. & Janſenius, in Marc. 6. two other Papiſts, affirms and proves by firm reaſons, that that anointing in Mark, is no Sacrament; therefore neither is this anointing in James a Sacrament, ſeeing (as ſaid is) in both the places the ſelf-ſame unction is meaned.
Fifthly, I ſay, all the Sacraments the Lord hath inſtituted, are publick and not privat: but this Sacrament of yours is privatly miniſtred: therefore not a true Sacrament.
Sixthly, all the Sacraments of the New Teſtament ſhould be miniſtred by them who have the preaching of the Goſpel concredited unto them; and not by privat Chriſtians. But Innocentius the firſt, a Pope, ſaith, in his Epiſt. 1. cap. 8 Private men may miniſter this in their own and others neceſſities: as alſo Thomas Waldenſis a Papiſt. And yet the Council of Trent accurſes them that ſo ſay: Therefore it is not a Sacrament.
Seventhly, Pope Innocent in that ſame Epiſtle cited before, calls it but genus Sacramenti, a kind of Sacrament; therefore it is not properly a Sacrament. But you are more bold to call it a Sacrament.
Eightly, all the Sacraments of Chriſt have their warrant from the written word: But Petrus a Soto, in his book againſt Brentius, calls this a tradition which hath not the warrant in the written word: therefore it is not a lawful Sacrament of Chriſt.
And as to your argument: That it hath an external form of anointing with oyl, of an internal grace which is remiſſion of ſins. I anſwer: this form or ceremony was extraordinary, as I proved before, annexed to a miraculous gift of healing. The which ſeeing it is now ceaſed, the ceremonie alſo ſhould ceaſe. And this promiſe is not made to the anointing (if ye will believe the Apoſtle) but to the prayer of faith. The prayer of faith, ſaith the Apoſtle, ſhal ſave the ſick. And whereas ye ſay that we make him a Mediciner only for the bodie in this, and not for the ſoul: we anſwer: That this ceremonie, as ſundrie others, was only annexed to the extraordinary gift of healing of the bodie, and was not ſeals of grace. And yet with the health of the bodie, the healing of the ſoul was oftentimes joyned, as our Savior ſaith to the paralytick man: Thy ſins are forgiven thee, take up thy bed and walk, Matth 9 28. Now whither theſe be our vain ſubterfuges, or clear grounds out of the Scripture, let the Reader judge. And whereas ye call us new men: let them be new and moſt recent▪ whoſe doctrine is moſt new. But as hath, and ſhal be proved by Gods grace, our doctrine is not new, but Jeſus Chriſts in his Old and New Teſtament, and yours deviſed ſince. Therefore this title of noveltie moſt juſtly belongs unto you. This for the ſixth point of your doctrine.