Veneer on Article XXV: Of the Sacraments

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Thirty-Nhie Articles. 6^7

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The Exposition.

ACRAMENTS are indeed fo many Marks of Diftindion, by which Christians are diftinguifh’d from Un- believers 5 but they are also Visible Signs of an Invisible Grace, and do really con- vey that Grace to such as worthily receive them. But this is not done by any Power of their own, but by the Operation of the Holy Ghost. Thus Baptism regenerates us, j ii. 38. Then Peter [aid u7ito them Repent and he bap- tized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the Remijfion of Sins -, and ye Jljall receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. And i Cor.yi. we are told, that the Lord’s Supper communi- cates to us the Body and Blood of Christ.

A s for the Number of the Sacraments, since it belongs to Him alone toinftitute them, who is able to confer the Grace which accompanies them, there cannot be more than those which God himself hath instituted. And those which he hath instituted are but two, viz. Baptism, ’ '” ’ and the Supper of the Lord ; for to these only /f * doth the Definition of a Sacrament belong. z The

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Art. XXV. The Institution of these is feen. Mat. xxviii. 19.

yy Go ye and teach all Nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Sony and of the Holy Ghost, And i Cor. xi. 23, 24, 25, 26. For I have received of the Lcrd that which also

1 delivered unto you., ‘That the Lord Jesus the fame Night in which he was betrayed took Bread : And when he had given Thanks he brake ity andfaid Take eat ; This is my Body which is broken for you : This do in Remem Jprance of me. For as often as ye eat this Bread and drink this Cup, ye do /J:?ew the Lord’s Death till he come.

As to these five commonly call’d Sacra- ments, that is to fay. Confirmation, ^c. the Word Sacrament was indeed used by the an- tient Writers of the Church for any sacred or holy Mystery, Rite, or Ceremony 3 every one calling what holy Thing he pleased a Sacra- ment : So that according to this extensive Signi- fication of the Word, there can be neither {o few Sacraments as those Two which Protestants declare for, nor fb few as those Seven which the Church of Kome contends for.

But the Word Sacrament hath also a proper and limited Signification ; and when used ac- cording to it, and put to signify an outward Sign of a Covenant betwixt God and Men, ap- pointed by God himself as a Pledge of our Juflification, and a Means of our San6tifica- tion, which is the Ratio Fonnalis of a Sa- crament, properly speaking, or that without which it cannot polTibly be one ; it entirely excludes these Five from the Number of Sa- craments.

2 Con F IK-

Thirty-Kine Articles. 639

Confirmation is, weconfefs, an Apoftoli- /^]o/->^ cal Ceremony : As such it is still retained and of confirma,’ pradlifed by us : But then it is at moll: but an thn, Apoftolical Ceremony. Christ neither ordained any such Sign, nor made it either the Means of conveying any special Spiritual Grace to us, or a Pledge to affure us thereof

Penance, if publick, is confefledly a Vaxt of Vennmc^ of Church-Discipline : If private, is only the Application of the Power of the Keys to a particular Person for his Comfort and Correc- tion. It has neither any outward Sign instituted by Christ, nor any inward Grace particularly annexed to it. Indeed, if a true Penitent re- ceive Abfolution from his Minister, God rati- fies the Sentence, and forgives the Sin. But fo God would have done, had neither any Con- feffion been made to, or Abfolution received from him. And that the Sin is forgiven, is owing to the Mercy of God, upon the Repen- tance of the Sinner, and not to be ascribed to the Priest’s Sentence.

In Extreme Undlion there is an Oi\t2ir6i of i-xmmt Sign, but neither of Christ’s nor his Apostles - Institution, They anointed fick Perfbns for the Mark vi. 1 5. Recovery of their bodily Health and in cer- Jam. v. 14, if tain Cafes, advised the Elders of the Church to be fent for to do likewise. But as to any Spiritual Effeds, they neither used any such Sign themselves, nor recommended it to others : Nor is there any the least Ground on which to exped: any such Benefic from the Ufe of it. ‘Tis true, if the Sickr.eis were inflided for any particular Sin which the Person had committed, the Healing of the Sickness was a Token that

the

6/^0 An Eypofition on the

Art. XXV. the Sin was also forgiven : Because ‘till the Sin yy^y^<J was forgiven, the Difeafe could not be removed. But the Anointing was of no more Ufe to ob- tain the one, than it would have had Power, of itself, to effed: the other.

ofMMrl-mny. Matrimony is a Holy State, ordained by God, and highly to be accounted of by all Men. It was provided for a Remedy against Sin, and to avoid Fornication 3 that such Persons as have not the Gift of Continence might marry, and keep themselves undefiled Members of Christ’s Body. But it neither confers any Grace where it is not, nor increases it where it is : And therefore it is not to be looked upon as a true and proper Sacrament.

of ordimtion. Ordination also is a Divine Institution. By the Administration of it. Authority is given to those who partake of it, to minister in holy Things ; which otherwift it would not have been lawful for them to do. We do not at all doubt but that the Grace of God accompanies this Ordinance, and the Discharge of those Mi- nifleries which are performed in consequence of it. But then this Grace is only the BlefHng of God upon a particular Employ, and is given to such Persons rather for the Benefit of others, than for the Furtherance of their own Salva- tion.

The Writings of the mod early Fathers afford no Light to this Debate : And the Rea- fon is, because there was no Diipute about the Number of Sacraments in their Time. Peter hombard^^ Writer of the Twelfth Century, was the firll that talk’d of Seven Sacraments. Euge^ mus IV. taught the Armen’tans the fame Doc- trine

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trine Anno Domini 1439. The Co-ancil of Trent t. xxv. afterwards confirm’d it by a Decree, from y"" whence Pius IV. inserted it into iiis new Creed and fb at last the Fancy of a trifling Schoolman became an Article of Faith.

On the other hand, Jufiin Martyr in his Exposition of our Religion, (in which he de- clares that he says nothing out of Spite to any Man, or deceitfully) makes Mention of no more than Two Sacraments, that is to fay, Baptism, and the Eucharist or Lord’s Supper *. Tertiillian likewise joins theie two together, and says nothing of any more. De Corcn. Mtlttis Cap. 3. To pais by S. Augufttne de Dor. Christi Lib. 3. Cap.g. Epijt. :i8. 23. Chry- foftom in Joan. 85. and to fay nothing of Wri- ters of the following Ages, t

What remains of this Article, requiring any-thing to be said upon it, is, that they that receive the Sacraments unworthily, are by St. Paul said to purchase to themselves Damna- tion. This is said by St. Paul exprefly of the Lord’s Supper only ; but we are, by what he faith, taught to ipeak the fame of Baptiim, inafmuch as it is an Inflitution of Christ as well as the Lord’s Supper. Speaking, i Cor. xi. of the Drunken Communicants at Corinth he faith, ner. 29. that he that receieth the Lord’s Supper univorthily eateth and drtnketh Damna-

• See his Afdo^y from Chap. 79. to the End.

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S f tion

642 Jn Exposition on the

ART.XXV. Hon to himself. What I have here to obfervc

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that the Word * KeTct, which our Translators render Damnation does not here signify Eter- nal Condemnation, but a Temporal Judgment and Chaftifement, in order to prevent Eternal Condemnation. This is plain from the three next Verses : For this Cause many are weak and sickly among you and many Jleep. For if we Jhould judge ourfelwes we JJonuld not he judged. But when we are judged we are chaftened of the Lord that we fbould not he condemned of the World, t

Instead of K£i#i I had put Ke/(77? in the First Edition of this Book, for ib I found it in all the Editions of Arch- bifliop Tiilotfon’s Sermons, which I looked upon as a better Authority than any Greek Testament I had by me, and there it hath palled above Forty Years unobferved, at least as far as I could underfland. The Truth is, Keiff? and Kect are de- rived from the fame Verb, and have exaftly the lame Signi- fication. Nevertheless, since Dr. Mills, and all other Editors of the Greek Testament that I can meet with, read Ket/xe6 and not Keiw?, I have now rather chosen to follow them, than to depend upon the Authority of one great Man, who was, perhaps, too much engaged in the more uleful Parts of Learning, to attend to luch minute and inconfiderable Parts of Criticism, fo as to be exa£l in Trifles of this Nature.

f See Tillctfcn on i Cor. xi. 26, 27, 28.

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