Tomline on Article XXV: Of the Sacraments

iVe have now before us a series of articles, seven in number, which treat of the Christian doctrine of Sacraments. The first two relate to Sacra- ments in general, the third to Baptism, and the other four to the Lord*s Supper. Under this ar- tide we are to consider the meaning of the word Sacrament, and to distinguish the real sacraments of the Gospel from the pretended ones of the church of Rome.

There is no word in the Old or New Testa- ment which corresponds to the word Sacra- ment It is a Latin word ; and agreeably to its derivation it was applied by the early writers of the western church to any ceremony of our holy religion, especially if it were figurative or mys- tical (a). But a more confined signification

of

(a) Vide Bingham’s Antiquities, b. 12. c. 1. sect 4. The word used by the Greek Fathers for sacrament

is

ART. X X v.] Thirty-nine A r ticks, 413

of this word by degrees prevailed, and in that stricter sense it has been always used by the divines of our church. To prevent however any misapprehension or doubt upon the subject, this article very properly begins (b) with a definition or description of what we are to understand by sacraments. Sacraments ordained by

CHRIST BE not ONLY BADGES OR TOKENS OF FECTUAL SIGNS OF GRACE, AND GOD’s GOOD- WILL TOWARDS us; BY THE WHICH HE DOTH FIRM OUR FAITH IN HIM. The meaning of the word ” Sacraments*’ being thus stated, the next thing to be considered is, whether the Divine Author of our religion instituted any such cere- monies or ordinances ; and the article asserts that

It

is Mvffni^^or. This word occurs frequently in the New Testament, but never in the sense of an external rite.

(b) In the articles of 1 552, the definition of the word Sacrament was made the last clause in this article, and nothing was aaid in it concerning the five Popish sacraments.

414 Ejppositkm of the [paict in.

It is our business therefore to shew from die New Testament, under this and the following articles, that Christ did really institute Baptism and tbe Lord’s Supper, and that the account given of them by the inspired writers corresponds with tfie above explanation of the word Sacramait.

That Christ during his ministry directed thoise who became his disciples to be baptized, is efi- dent from a variety of passages (c) in the Gos- pels ; and after his resurrection he command his Apostles to go and teach all nations, bap- tizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ;’ and he added ** Lo, I am with you alway, even uilt tMc? end of the world (d).” Baptism, therefor by tfie express direction of Christ himself, is tfte rite by which we are to be admitted into his holy religion. Our Saviour also promises eter- nal salvation to faith and baptism : ” Hb that beBeveth and is baptized shall be saved (e)/* And upon another occasion he makes baptism an essential condition of admission into tfie kingdom of God : ” Except a man be bom of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (f).’ And St, Peter, in his

sermon

(c) John, c 3. V. […] c. 4. V. 1.

(4) Matt c 28- T. «€• (e) Mark^ c. 16. v, 16.

(f) John, c. 3* v. 5.

[…]

sermon upon the day of Pentecost, says, Re- pent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the Holy Ghost (g). Though in this and several other passages (hj of the New Testament the name of Christ only is mentioned, we are not to imagine, that bap- tism was ever performed by the Apostles in the iSfete of Christ only. These expressions mean admission into Christianity by baptism, without any reference to the form, which was always that prescribed by Christ himself. Sne per- sons at Ephesus told St Paul, that they had not heard of the Holy Ghost ; upon which he asked them, ” Unto what then were ye baptized (i) ?” This question plainly implies, that if they had been baptized as Christians, they must have heard of the Holy Ghost ; that is, they must have been baptized in- his name ; and it appeaifr that they had only been baptized ’ unto John’s baptism (ky\ And we learn from the ancient fathers, that, in the primitive church, baptism was always performed in the name of all the three persons of the blessed Trinity (IJ.

As (g) Acts, c. 2. V. 38.

(h) Acts, c. 8. V. 16. c. 10. V. 48. c. 19. V. 5. (i) Acts, c. 19. V. 3. (k) Acts, c. 19. v. 3. (I) Bas. de Spir. Sane. cap. 13. Recog. lib. 6. cap. 9. lib, 3. cap. 68, Can. Apost. 49.

41 6 ExpositUm of the [paet hi*

As by Baptism we enter into the Christian covenant, so by the Lord’s Supper we profess our continuance in it That our Saviour, the nit before his crucifixion, instituted the Lord’s Sup- per, we have the testimony of the first three Evangelists (m) ; and moreover, St. Paul says, I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread : and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you : this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament of my blood : this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me : for as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come (n)’* And in the preceding chapter of the same epistle he says, ” The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ ? the bread which we break, is it not the commu- mon of the body of Christ (o) ?”

Hence it appears that baptism and the

CHRIST OUR LORD IN THE GOSPEL: and the

passages

(m) Matt. c. 26. Mark, c. 14. Luke, c. 22. (n) 1 Cor. c. u . V. 23, 8tc. (0) \ Cor. c, 10. v. 16.

[…]

passages which have been already quoted suffi- ciently shew that they are not to be considered as barely external rites : but the more particular design and nature of diese two sacraments will be explained under the 27th and 28th articles. In the mean time we may observe, that the true idea of sacraments is, that they are foederal acts of religion. We on our part make certain pro- sessions and vows; and if these be made in sincerity and truth, God promises to afford us his secret assistance in performing the great work of our salvation. It is evident, that ordinances of this high importance must be instituted by the Founder himself of our religion, or by his Apos- tles in his name. Rites and ceremonies, for the more convenient and decent celebration of public worship, may be regulated by the church ; but foederal acts, which imply a signification of the divine will, and a communication of the divine grace, must be authorized by God him- self. He only can prescribe the conditions upon which he will bestow his blessings, and point out the channels by which he thinks fit to convey them. This therefore is the test by which every pretended sacrament is to be tried ; and if it be not found in the New Testament under the character of an outward and visible sign, accompanied with the conditional promise

VOL, II. X £ of

4i8 Exposition of the [fart hi.

of an inward spiritual grace, it is to be r^ected as having no claim to the title of a sacrament

In the primitive ages of Christianity, there was no dispute concerning the number of sacraments properly so called ; and consequentiy we find verf litde upon that subject in the early ecclesiastical writers. However, the Recognitions, which were written at the end of the second century, aBow of only two sacraments (p) ; and Justin Mar- tyr (q)j Tertullian (r) Cyril of Jerusalem (s) Augustine (t)y and Chrysostom (u all men- tion two sacraments, namely, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, and no more. Peter Lombard, a writer of the twelfth century, is the first who reckons seven sacraments, adding to Ae abo?e two these five— Confirmation, Penance, 0 ders. Matrimony, and Extreme Unction. Pope Eugenius IV. about the middle of the fifteendi century, pronounced, that* these five, as wdl as the other two, ought to be considered as sacraments. In the following century, all sevw were declared to be equally sacraments by Ae Council of Trent ; and firom dmt time thqf

have (p) lib. 1 ; (q) Apol. cap. 79. et seq.

(r) De cor. MiL cap. 3. lib. cont Marc.

(9) De Catect.

(t) Be Doct. Chr. lib. 3. cap/9. Epist. 33 et ii8,

(u) In Joan. 85.

AftT. XXV.] Thirty-nine Articles. 419

have always been acknowledged as such by the Romish Church. On the other hand, our church asserts, that those five commonly (x)

COUNTED FOR SACRAMENTS OF THE GOSPEL; THE lord’s SUPPER : FOR THAT THEY HAVE NOT ANY VISIBLE SIGN OR CEREMONY OR*

We shall consider these five Popish sacraments

in the order in which they stand in die article^

and shall tfaerdore begin with confirmation,

in treating of which, we are to explain in what

respect our church receives it as a religions

wdinance, and up(m what ground it lefuses to

acknowledge it as a sacrament

When

(x) That is, which were commonly called go when these articles were drawn up. The number of sacra- ments was not among the abases first corrected by the reformers. A sacrament in the Trent catechism is defined to be, a thing sobj ect to sense, which, by God’s appointment, has virtue both to signify and to work holiness and righteousness.

£ £ 2

420 JExposUum of the {^^ast rti.

When the Apostles at Jerusalem heard diat many of the inhabitants of Samaria had em-* braced the Gospel, and had been baptized, they sent thither Peter and John, who laid their hands upon these new converts, and prayed that they might receive the Holy Ghost, and the Holy Ghost descended upon them (y). And when the men of £phesus had been baptized * Paul laid his hands upon them, and the Hdy Ghost came on them (z)” And St Paul, in his Epistle to the Hebrews, mentions th doctrine of the laying on of hands immediatdy after the doctrine of baptism (a). Upon these authorities was founded the practice, whidi prevailed in the primitive church, of persons receiving from the bishop immediately after bap- tism, a sdenm benediction, accompanied with imposition of hands, unction upon the fordiead with the holy chrism (b)j the sign of the cross, and a prayer for the descent of the Holy Ghost. Tertullian says, When we come out of the water, we are anointed with a blessed ointment, according to that antient rite by which men used to be anointed for the priest’s office, widi oil out of a horn, ever since the time that Aaron

waa

(y) Acts, c. 8. V. 14, tic. (t) Acts, c. 19. v. 6.

(a) Heb. c. 6. v. 2.

(h) The chrism was made of oil and balsanu

ART. XXV.] Tiirty-tme Articles. 42 1

was aiMHnted by Moses ; so that Christ himself has his name from Chrism. Hii we have the imposition of hands on us, which calls down and invites the Holy Ghost (c)’* This ceremony was called Confirmation, as it comdeted the ad- mission of the person into the Christian church, and qualified him to partake of the Lord s Sup- per. It was not confined to adults, but infants also received Confirmation as soon as they were baptized, and an opportunity offered of pre senting tiiem to the bishop. Though it was generally performed by bishops, yet, in some countries, and at some periods, it was performed by presbyters ; but in that case it was necessary that the chrism should have been previously consecrated by the bishop. Jerome tells us, that, in his time, Confirmation was always per formed in the Latin church by bishops, as it bad been in earlier times (d) ; but Hilary says, that in Egypt the presbyters confirmed in the bishop’s absence (e) ; and that was also the practice of the Greek church ; but ihe Greek Christians did not allow Confirmation to be a sacrament. We learn firom one of the canons of the Council of Illiberis, that, in the time both of Cyprian and of Augustine, Confirmation

was

(c) Tert. de Baptism, cap. 7,

(d) Hieron. ad Lucif.

(t) HO. in cap. 4. ad Ephes.

£ £ 3

422 Exposition of the [paUt iif.

was perfoitned by bishops (f). Hie antients did not think this rite of Confirmation so absdut^ necessary, that the want of it would exchide ftook the kingdom of heaven those who had already been baptized ; but they attributed to it so much importance, that they punished the neglect of it with marks of disgrace and public censure; and denied the privilege of ecclesiasticfd promo* tion and holy orders to such persons as had voluntarily and carelessly omitted it.

After this example of the primitive Christians, our church requires all who have been bap- tized to appear publicly in the congregation, and renew their baptismal vow according to the form prescribed in our liturgy. This falls within the authority of the church, and may be considered as included in the general precepts of doing aD things ” in order and unto edifying ;” especially since the now universal practice of infiemt bap- tism makes Confirmation more necessary than it was in the primitive times, when chiefly adults were baptized. It seems highly reasonable tiiat

they,

(f) JEtate Cypriani, Ep. 79. Praepositis ecclesifle oblati sunt baptizati,ut per eorum orationem et manus impositionem spiritum sanctum consequerentur; euiiH demque morem in suis praepositis annis post Cypriani martyrium 150 ecclesiam servasse scripsit Augustinus. (De Trin. lib. 15. cap. 26.) Erant secundum canonem ab episcopo consignandi quotquot diebus solemnibus sacro lavacro tingebantur. Cone. Dlib. cap. 38 et 77.

ART. XXV.] Tbirty^nine Articles. 423

they, ydio at the time of their baptism, were incapalde of making any engagement, should, when they arrive at a proper age, ratify and con- firm those pronuses which were made in their name. And to give this ordinance the greater solemnity, it is performed only by the higher or- ders of the church, the archbishops and bishops. Thus far our church receives Confirmation, con fining it to prayer and imposition of hands, with- out the chrism or the sign of the cross, and believes * it to be derived from the practice of the Apostles. But as it is not a regular institution of Christ or his Apostles, like Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, with a written ccnnmand that it should be con- tinued in future ages, and a promise that it will be attended with inward grace, we reject it as a Sacrament. There is, indeed, not a single precept upon the . subject in the New Testament ; nor is there any scriptural authority for the use of the chrism, or the sign of the cross ; and Bingham thinks that the chrism made no part of Confir* mation before the latter end of the second cen- tury, though other writers attribute an earlier date to it. It must be admitted by all, that imposition of hands was not peculiar to Confir- mation (; and that no separate efficacy is ascribed to it distinct from the prayers whidi

accompanied

(g) Matt. c. 19. T. 13. Mark, c. 10. t. i6. Luke, c. 4* T. 40. • ’

£ £ 4

[…]

accompamed it ; and prayer and imposition of hands are not sufficient to constitute a sacra- ment: we, therefore, consider Confirmation as nothing more than a solemn manner of persons taking upon themselves their baptismal vow ; and, as such, it is a ceremony of high importance calculated to impress youthful minds with a just sense of the great obligations of the Christian profession, and to excite in them an earnest en- deavour ” faithfully to observe such things as y? y i* own confession, have assented unto (h)y

It is pretended that the Popish sacrament ci PENANCE, which is next to be considered, is de- rived from the Scripture doctrine of repentance ; but it is in fact a corruption of a practice which prevailed in the primitive church. During the severe persecutions which the Christians suf- ferred in the early ages of the Gospel, many, through fear of tortures and death, apostatized from the faith. It frequently happened, that these men, after the danger was past, were de- sirous of returning to communion with the church; but they were not allowed, till they had made a public confession of their offence in the presence of the congregation. In this man- ner confession began to be a part of ecclesiastical discipline ; and being thus in the first instance,

applied (h) Confirmation Service,

ART. XXV.] ITtifiy-nine Articles. 425

applied to a crime of a public nature, it was afterwards extended to private sin. Besides the shame of public confession, the offending party was compelled to sulnnit to public reproof, to acts of penance, to exclusion from the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, and to a tainporary suspen* sion of all the priviles of a Christian (i). We lesitUj from the canons of the numerous councils, which were held in the fourth and fifth cen- turies, that they were chiefly occupied in regu- lating the nature and duration of these censures and in settling the degree of discretionary power to be vested in bishops for the purpose of relax- ing or shortening them, according to the cir- cumstances of the case. Public confession was soon found to be attended with many incon- veniencies ; and, therefore, instead of it, offenders were permitted to confess their sins privately either to the bishops themselves, or to peniten- tiary priests appointed by them. When the punishment, which was still public though the sins remained secret, was finished, the penitent was formally received into communion with the church by prayer and imposition of hands. The office of penitentiary priest was abolished in the

East (i) Whoever wishes to see an account of the rigour of the antient penance, may consult Bingham’s Anti- quities, book 1 8. c. 4. ; and also Dallsus deConfessione, aad Morinus de Poenitentia«

426 Ejtpositian of the [part hi.

East in the reign of TheodosiuB (k) ; but it was retained much longer in the western church. In the fifth century, public penance was submitted to with difficulty and rductance; and it was thought expedient to allow penance, in certain cases, to be performed in monasteries, or in some private place, before a small select number c^ persons ; this private penance was gradually ex- tended to more and more cases ; and before the end of the seventh century, the practice of public penance for private sins was entirely abolished. About the end of the eighth century, paiance b^n to be commuted ; in the room of the an* tient severities, pray^s, masses, and alms, were substituted ; and in process of time the clargy of the church of Rome gained such an ascendancy over the minds of the people as to persuade them that it was their duty to confess all their sins, however private or heinous, to the priest, who had power to prescribe the conditions of absolution ; and to give a greater sanction to this delusion, they called it a Sacrament, uid made it to consist in confession to the priest, and in absolution from him, after or before such acts of devotion, mortification, and charity, as he should think fit to enjoin. By a canon of the council ofLateran, held a. d. 1215, every

p«rson

(k) Socrates, lib. 5. cap. 10. Soaom.lib.7. cap. 16.

ARt. XXV.] ITiifiy-nine Articles. 427

[…]

It is scarcely necessary to observe, that the Pe- nance of the church of Rome is totally difl[erent from the Gospel doctrine of repentance, which consists in an inward sorrow for past sins, and a firm resolution of future amendment. This pre- tended sacrament has no foundation whatever in Scripture; we are not commanded to confess’ our sins to priests, nor are they empowered to dispense absolution upon their own judgment. St James indeed says, ^’ Confess your faults one to another (I) ; ” but no mention is here made of priests ; and the word ” faults ” seems to con- fine the precept to a mutual confession among Christians, of those offences by which they may have itijured each other; but, certainly, the necessity of auricular confession, and the power

of (i) JameSi o. £• v. i6.

428 Ea^position of the [part hi.,

of priestly absoluticm, cannot be inferred from this passage. And though many of the early ecclesiastical writers earnestly recommend confes- sion to the clergy, yet they never represait it as essential to the pardon of sin, or as having any connexion with a sacrament ; they only urge it as entitling a person to the prayers of the congre^ g^on ; as useful for supporting the authority of wholesome discipline, and for maintaining the pu- rity of the Christian church. But Chry sos tom con- demns all secret confession to men (m)y as being obviously liable to great abuses ; and Basil (nX Hilary (oX and Augustine (pX all advise con- session of sins to God only. And M. Daill^ has proved, in his elaborate work upon this subject, that private, auricular, sacramental confession of sins, was unknown in the primitive church (q).

But though there is not the slightest ground for considering Penance as a Sacrament, nor any authority for requiring auricular confession tO: priests ; yet confession of sins to God is an indis- pensable duty, and confession to priests may sometimes be useful, by leading to effectual re- pentance, and therefore our church encourages its members to use confidential confession to their priest, or to any other minister of God s holy

word;

(m) Horn. 31. inHeb. (n) In Psahn 37. v. 8. (0) In Psalm 51. (p) Confess, lib. 10. cap. 3.

(q) De Aur. C!onf. lib. 4. cap* 25. .

ART. XXV.] Thirty-nine Articles. 43$

word (r) ; but this is very different from its being an essential part of a Sacrament instituted by Christ or his Apostles. A contrite sinner may feel relief in unburdening his mind to his spiritual pastor, and may receive advice and consolation, which may soften the pangs of a wounded con- science ; his scruples may be removed ; his good resolutions may be confirmed; and, instead of fJEilling a victim to religious melancholy, he may be enabled to work out his salvation by a life of active virtue, and by an humble faith in the merits of the blessed Jesus, who, as he himself assures us, came into the world ^^ to call sinners to repentance.”

The only absolution, which our church autho- rizes its clergy to pronounce, is ministerial, or de- claratory of God’s pardon upon the performance of the conditions which he has been pleased to require in the Gospel ; it always supposes feith and sincere repentance, of which God alone is judge. Nor was any absolution, except declaratory and precatory, known among the early Christians, as fuUy appears from the antient Uturgies and rituals, and from the authors who have written upon these subjects ; particularly from the treatise of Morinus de Pcenitenti^, in which he has proved that the indicative form of absolution, as it is

called,

(r) Exhortation in Commvnion Service.

43^ . HajHMtian of the [part hi.

called, Ego te absolvo, was introduced intx> d)e church as late as the twelfth century. Previous to that period, only some such prayer as this was used, Absolutionem et remissionem tribuat tibi omnipotens Deus. The right of requiring coa- session, and of absolving sins, as exercised in the church of Rome, must necessarily be the source of an undue and dangerous influence to the clergy, and must at the same time operate as a great encouragement to vice and immorality among the people. Our church, in imitation of the primitive church, for certain offences im- poses public penance as a part of its discipline ; but it by no means considers or represents divine forgiveness as a certain consequence of that out- ward and involuntary act

The third of the Popish sacraments rejected in this article is orders. We have shewn under a former article, that there has been an unintar- rupted succession of ministers since the days of the Apostles. But though it is perfectly conform- able to Scripture, and to the practice of the primitive church, that certain persons should be set apart for the public service of religion, that there should be different ranks of these persons, and that diey should be regularly appointed by men who have public authority given them in the congregation for that purpose, yet there is

no

ART. XXV.] Thirty-nine Articles. 431

no ground for considering ordination as a Sacra- ment. Neither Christ nor his apostles prescribed any particular form of ordaining ministers, to be observed in succeeding ages ; but they left tins, with other things of a similar nature, to be regu- lated by the church. Prayer, and imposition of hands, have been always used upon this occasion ; but these are not sufficient, as was before ob* served, to constitute a Sacrament. And, there- fore, as ordination wants the essential properties of a sacrament, we esteem it only as a solemn mode of appointing ministers to thdr sacred office. The Papists make use of many ceremo- nies in the ordination of their ministers, which were unknown in the church for at least ten cen- turies, and during that period Orders were never mentioned by any ecclesiastical writer as a Sa- crament These new ceremonies were probably added, and the name ^of a Sacrament given to curdination, for the purpose of raising the import- ance of the clerical character in the eyes of the common people, and of promoting by those means the influence and authority of the Roman pontiffs.

Matrimony is the fourth of the Popish sacra- ments rejected in this article. Matrimony is not only ” a state of life allowed by the Scriptures,/’ but it is an ordinance of God instituted at the

first

• #

[…]

first creation of man, and confirmed by the New Testament It has not, however, the slightest pretension to be considered as a Sacramity although it was pronounced to be such by Pope Eugenius, and afterwards by the Council of Trent. It has no visible sign ordained of God, nor any promise of inward grace, which are essential to a sacrament. St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Ephesians (s)y calls the marriage of Christ and his church Murbi;v, a mystery, which, in the Vulgate is rendered Sacramentum; but that expression means, that Christ is not literally married to his church, but only metaphorically or mystically. As matrimony ia reckoned a sacra- ment by the church of Rome, Papists hold that all marriages are indissoluble, and do not allow of divorces even in cases of adultery, except upon the authority of the Pope’s dispensation.

The fifth and last of the Popish sacraments rejected in this article is £xtr£M£ unction, which is practised by the priests of the church of Rome upon the sick, who are supposed to be past recovery ; and it is believed to give final pardon for sin, with all necessary assistances in the last agony. The oil, which has been previously blessed by a bishop, is applied to tlie five senses with these words. Per banc sacram unctionemv

et (0 C. 5. T. 3a.

[…]

et snam piissimam misericordiam, indulgeat tibi Deus quicquid peccasti par visum; anditum, ol- fietctiim, gustum, et tactum ; uid as each of- words denoting die five senses is pronouny fhe organ of that sense is anointed. The following are the only two passages of the New Testament urged by the church of Rome to prove that this extreme unction ought to be considered as a sa- crament : St. Mark relates that the Apostles, fey whom Christ gave a temporary commission to preach in Judaea, anointed with oil many that wre sick, and heal/ed them (t)y — And St* James gives this direction in his General Epistle, ’ Is any sick among you, let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of feith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up Y’-” Among other miractdous gifts communicated by Christ to his Apostles during his ministry, and after* wards by the Holy Ghost to the early preachers of the Gospel, was that of curing diseases ; and it IS evident, ’ that both the above passages refer to the exercise of that supernatural power, and of course the efficacy of anointing with oil would cease when that power was withdrawn from the church. Moreover, the unction spoken of by

these (t) Mark, c. 6. v. X3. (u) ‘James, c g. v. 14.

434 Espontion ofths [part m,

these two Apostles was for the puipose of restof • ing the sick to health, and not for the good of thdr souls whn life was despaired of, as prac* tised by Papists. Indeed the anointing with oil was nothing more than one of those symbolical actions with which miracles were wrougit ltb imder the old and new dispensation. Mosei divided the waters of the Red Sea by stretching out his \i(x)\ and Elisha cleansed the ]qrosy of Naaman by ordering him to wash seven times m the River Jordan (y). Our Saviour cured IhiQ deaf and dumb man by putting his fingen into his ears, and by touching his tcmgue ; and Paul received his sight when Ananias put his himds upon him. Oil was constantly used in the eastern countries, and therefore the Apostles and. £lders applied it to the sick, whom they were em-, powered to heal ; but in neith of these instances is tiiere the slightest intimation of any permanait institution, and therefore our church does not re- commend extreme unction, and much less does it esteem it a sacrament.

Frequent mention is made of persons, who, in the primitive ages, were cured of their diseases by being anointed with oU ; but this anointing was confined to tlie cases of miraculous healings

which

(x) Ezod. c. 14. T. 21. Q^) % Kings, c. %.

[…]

which probably ceased in the third centnry (z). No general practice of this sort is noticed or aUuded to in any of the numerous writers, or in the canons of any of the various councils, of the first six centuries, although iitey abound in minute accounts and rules concerning tue sacra- ments and other religious offices. Nor is ex- treme unction mentioned in the lives of any of the saints of the first eight or nine centuries, al- though their deaths are sometimes very particu- larly related, and their receiving of the Lord’s Supper in their last moments is often recorded. In the beginning of the fifth century, the bishop of Eugubinm consulted Pope Innocent the first, whether the sick might be anointed with the holy chrism used in Confirmation, and upon other tolemn occasions ; and his answer, which is now extant, plainly proves that extreme unction was not then known among Christians (aj. In tue seventh c«itury they began to anoint their sick, and there was a peculiar office made for it ; but

tue

(z) ”That such gifts (that is, of healing diseases and expelling daemons) were enjoyed by many Christians in the second, and the beginning of the third century, we are assured by Irenoeus, Tertullian, Origen,: and others ; after which time, or, however, after the end of the third century, they were not so common, if they did not quite cease.” Lardner, vol. 2. p. 347. ^a) Inn. Ep. 1. ad Decent.

T )P 2

I i:i IHI;^!

436 Exposition of the [part m.

the prayers which were used shew that it was in- tended only to promote tiieir recovery (b). This anointing frequently fieuled, as the means of m- storing health; and in the tenth citury the clergy pretended, that though it did Hot benefit the bodies of the sick, it was of great service to their souls. In those ignorant times the ci:gy found no great difficulty in inculcating this doc- trine, and about the middle of the twelfth tury it was generally believed. The were great supporters of the spiritual efficacy of extreme unction. Pope Eugenius, in the Coun- cil of Florence, decreed it to be a Sacrament; the Council of Trent confirmed it ; and it is still practised as such by Papists

.■ ’ •

I have thus endeavoured to trace the rise and establishment of the^ five Popish Sacraments^ and their history is itsdf a proof that they arc

THE GOSPEL, in the strict and prq)er sense of the word ; they were not instituted as such by Christ or his Apostles, nor were they known by that name in the primitive age of the church. Confirmation and Orders we allow to be hxAj functions derived from the Apostles, thou^ they want the essential qualities of a Sacramento

Penauce^

(b) libr. Sacr. Oregon Monachi NoUe* Bide Hii^ lib. 3. cap. 15.

[…]

Penanc^ as practised by Papists, is a corraptioa of a part . of antient ecclesiastical discipline, and was perverted into its present form of a sacrament, by the management and contrivance of tue clergy in the times of darkness and ignorance. Matrimony has no claim whatever to be considered as a ChristiaD sacrament, since it was not instituted by our Saviour, nor was its original character changed by the Gospel. It is indeed a divine institution, and a state of so much importance to the happiness of man« kind, that it is v^ proper to be solemnized by prayer and other acts of religious worship. And lastly, we entirely reject Extreme Unction, as having no other foundation than that of a symbolical rite, incidentally maitioned in Scrip- ture, as accompanying the miraculous healing of bodily diseases in the q)ostolic age.

I shall only further observe upon this subject, that as St Peter commanded his hearers to be hapikedfar the remission ofsinsy so our Saviour, when he instituted the Lord’s Supper, took the cup, and gave it tx) the Apostles, saying, Drink ye all of it, for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many far the rends sUm of sins;** thus remission of sins, which was die great otect of Christ*s coming into the freddy is pronounced to be closely connected -. y F- 3 with

438 Ejppasitiah of the [part iii.

with Baptism and the Lord’s Sapper, and with no other rite or ceremony whatever. This cir- cumstance clearly points out the importance of these two ordinances to our eternal salvation^ and at the same time is an irrefragable proof, that all other ordinances, and consequently the

BAPTISM AND THE LORD’s SUPPER.

Though the remaining part of this article speaks of sacraments in the plural number, yet it more particularly relates to the Lord’s Sup- per only.

The SACRAMENTS WERE NOT ORDAINED OF

ABOUT. There is no authority in Scripture, nor any precedent in the primitive church, for the Romish practice of carrying about the eucharist ; such pompous processions are inconsistent with the simplicity and spiritual nature of Christian ordinances. The institution of the eucharist was, ” Take, eat,” and, “drink ye aU of it;” Mrhenca it is evident that the elements were consecrated, that the persons who were present might imme« diately eat and drink them.

But that we should duly use them. It is evidently incumbent upon every Christian to use the Sacraments according to the design

^ of

[…]

of tiieir original institutipn. The Sacrament of Baptism being the admission of a person into Ihe Christian church, is not to be repeated. When any one in the primitive times, on account of persecution, or from any other cause, apostatized from the Christian religion, and afterwards returned to it, he was not re- baptized ; on the other hand, the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper bdng a declaration of a peiten’s continuance in the Christian religion, no opportunity of receiving it ought to be omitted. It was administered much more fre- quently in the primitive ages than it is in the present times ; and it is deeply to be lamented tiiat Christians are now much less constant and regular in partaking of it than they formerly were.

And in such onxt as worthily receive the same, they have a wholesome effect OR operation. We derive no benefits from the receiving of the Sacraments, nor indeed from the performance of any part of our reli- ous duty, unless it be done with a proper disposition, and a suitable fime of mind : God is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth (c)” This

sentence

(e) John, c. 4. v. 24. r F 4

440 ExpMtioH of the [part iii#

Bentence of the article is also directed a^inst the Papists, who maintain that the partaking of the Lord’s Supper necessarily promotea onr salvation ; that the opus operatum, as they call itj is always attended, with real benefit

But they that receive them unwob^

[…]

TioN, AS ST. PAUL SAiTH. The passage here seferred to is the following, and it relates to dia Lord’s Supper only : For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh dam-’ nation to himself, not discerning the Lord s body’d.” It is material to observe, that the word damnation, at the time the Bible waa tnnslated, meant no more than condemnation—* any sentence of punishment whatever, without a particular reference to the eternal torments to which the impenitently wicked will be consigned at the last day; and that St. Paul, in the abovd passage, does not refer to that dreadful punish- ment, appears ftom the following verse : ” For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep,” that is, are ead. The Corin- thians had been guilty of great abuses in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, and the dam** nation which they thereby brought upon them-’

selves^

. (d) 1 Cor. c; 1 1 . v. ag^

ART. xxv.] TTiirty^nme Articles. 441

selves was, as we here kam from St Paul, weak* ness, sickness, and death, that is, temporal punish* maits only, and not eternal damnation. This is also evident from the thirty-second verse : But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world ;” that is, when we are punished ia this manner in the present life, we are chastened and corrected by our heavenly Father, that we may be brought to a sense of our duty, and by reforming ourselves may avoid that condenma- tion which the impenitent m orld will suffer in 9 future state. The word Kf r/Aa, used in this pas- sage by St. Paul, occurs frequently in the New Testament, but in no one instance does it exclu- sivdy signify the sentence of eternal punishments It is sometimes translated judgment, as, ** the time is come, that judgment must begin at the house of God (e) f and sometimes it is ren- dered by the word condemnation, as when one of the malefactors, who were crucified with our blessed Lord, rebukes the other in these words, Dost thou not fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation (f)’ It is evident, that in these passages eternal damnation could not be meant When therefore it is said, that by

unworthily

(t) 1 Pet. c. 4* V. 1 7. (f) Lake^ c. 33. v. 40.

[…]

unworthily receiving the Lord’s Supper, men pur- chase to themselves damnation (g)y the meaning is, that by so doing they arc guilty of a great sin, and are therefore liable to punishment from Grod; but this, like other sins, may be repented of and forgiven, through the merits, and for the sake, of our blessed Redeemer.

(g) It is much to be feared, that the expression, ”we eat and drink our own damnation,” in our Communion Service, deters many persons from participating of the Lord’s Supper ; and therefore I recommend it to all clergymen occasionally to explain to their congrega- tions the meaning of the original passage from which it is taken, as well as the sense of the word damna- tion, when our Bible was translated. That the com- pilers of our Liturgy did not intend to apply the word damnation, any more than St. Paul the word Kfyta^ to eternal punishment, is evident from what follows : ” We kindle Ood’s wrath against us, we provoke him to plague us with divers diseases and sundry kinds of death.” The word condemnation is used in the SQth article.

ART. XXVI.] Thirty-nine Articles. 44J