or can institute, but the Lord and God himself, Christ Jesus, into whose hands the Father hath delivered all things. John xiii. 3. And he hath instituted and appointed them for great and salutary causes, and such as are necessary for his Church, and all those that believe: to wit, that, like as by the preaching of the word, so by the administration of the visible Sacraments, and by the mysteries thereof, faith might be helped and furthered; and that they might be an assured testimony and confirmation of the favourable and wellpleased will of God towards us; and that they might give witness to that truth which is signified by them, and might reach it out (as doth the word) to be apprehended by faith; and that the minds of the faithful, in the receiving of them, might by faith receive the grace and truth whereof they be witnesses; and applying it unto themselves, might make it their own, and confirm themselves therein; and, on the other side, by giving themselves to God, might consecrate, and, as it were, by an oath religiously bind themselves to serve Him alone, and, as it were, be bonded together among themselves, by the joining and knitting, as of one Spirit, so also of one body, Ephes. iv. 4. to wit, of the Church, and of the fellowship of the saints, and of love.

And according to these things, the Sacraments (as, in times past, Circumcision) may be called the holy covenants of God with his Church, and of the Church with God; Gen. xvii. 10. the ministrations of faith and love, by which the conjunction and union of God, and of Christ our Lord, with believing people, and theirs again with Christ, and that among themselves, is made and perfected, in one spiritual body of the Church: by which also, even as by the word, Christ and his Spirit do cause in the faithful, that is, in those that use them worthily, a precious participation of his excellent merit: neither doth he suffer them to be only bare and naked ministrations and ceremonies; but those things which they signify and witness outwardly, them doth he work inwardly to salvation, profitably and effectually; that is, he cleanseth, nourisheth, satisfieth, looseth, remitteth, and confirmeth.

They, therefore, which contemn these Sacraments, and through stubbornness will not suffer them to be of any force with themselves, and, making small account of them, do esteem them as trifles, or do otherwise abuse them, contrary to the institution, will, or commandment of Christ; all these do grieviously sin against the author thereof, who hath instituted them, and make a very great hazard of their salvation.

But if any man would willingly use these Sacraments according to the institution of Christ, and yet cannot have opportunity, either entire,* or without deceit, so to do as he would; (as if peradventure one be taken and kept in prison, or hindered by sickness, or live in strange countries among the enemies of the truth:) such a man, in such a case, if he do wholly and truly believe the holy Gospel, may by that faith be saved, although he have not the use of the Sacraments. To which case appertains that worthy saying of Augustine, upon John, Chap. xvi. Believe, and thou hast eaten :' seeing that the Sacraments are not necessary to salvation, but only by the addition of a certain condition.

or

Also we teach this; that the Sacraments, of themselves, or by their own virtue, for the work wrought, or for the outward action alone, that is, for the bare participation, and perception, and use thereof, cannot give grace, nor a justifying or quickening faith, to any, which before was not inwardly quickened by the Holy Ghost, and which hath no good motions (as it is termed) within himself. I say, the Sacraments cannot give to any such either grace, justifying and quickening faith; and therefore they cannot justify any man, nor inwardly quicken or regenerate any man's spirit: for faith must go before, whereby the Holy Ghost doth inwardly quicken and lighten man, and stir up or cause good motions in the heart. Without this faith, there is neither any justification nor salvation. Neither do the Sacraments, of or by themselves, help any whit hereunto, as in the holy Scripture manifest examples of this matter are found in many places: especially in Judas, who received the Sacrament of the Lord Christ himself, John xiii. 26. and did also execute the function of a Preacher, Mark iii. 14; 19. and yet he ceased not to remain a devil, an hypocrite, and the lost son; neither was he made better by the Sacrament, or by the use thereof, neither did this profit him any thing to salvation: also in Ananias and his wife, Act. v. 1-11. who had been baptized of the Apostles, and had also without doubt received the Lord's Supper; and yet notwithstanding they did continue in their wickedness, injustice, and lies against the Holy Ghost, while the Sacraments did neither take away their wickedness, nor give them the saving or justifying faith, which maketh the heart the better by repenting, and presenteth it to God an upright and obedient heart, and doth appease the conscience. Therefore the Sacra

tion.

Entire, that is, lawful liberty, such as doth agree with Christ his institu

ments did not bestow this conscience and faith itself upon them: even as Circumcision, and the sacrifices of the Old Testament, did not give a lively and justifying faith, without the which faith those things availed nothing to eternal salvation or justification.

And so doth St. Paul speak of all these things in his Epistle to the Romans, and bringeth in the example of Abraham, and doth witness that he had faith and righteousness, which is available with God, before that he was circumcised. Rom. iv. 10, 11. In like sort he writeth of the people of Israel, "that they also were baptized, and that they all did eat one and the same spiritual meat, and did all drink one and the same spiritual drink : but with many of them God was not pleased." 1 Cor. x. 3—5. And therefore, even in the abundance of all these things, they were thought unworthy to be received, and were rejected of God. if a dead man, or one that is unworthy, do come to the Sacraments, certainly they do not give him life and worthiness: but he that is such an one, doth load himself with a far greater burthen of fault and sin, seeing that he is unworthy. The which thing the Apostle doth expressly declare in the doctrine touching the Supper of the Lord, where he saith, "Whosoever doth eat of this bread, or drink of this cup of the Lord, unworthily, he is guilty of the body and blood of the Lord; also he doth eat and drink judgment to himself." 1 Cor. xi. 27; 29.

Lastly, this also must be known; that the verity of the Sacraments doth never fail them, so that they should become not effectual at any time but, in the institution of Christ, they do always exercise their virtue and efficacy,* in witnessing, sealing, confirming, unto the worthy receivers, present grace and salvation; but unto the unworthy, their fault and condemnation, whether they be administered by a good and honest Priest, or by a close sinner. For so long as the overthwartness of such wicked hypocrites is not

This must warily be understood. For properly the Sacraments do witness, seal, or confirm no other things, but grace and salvation. The condemnation of such as use them unworthily, doth not flow from any virtue or power of the Sacraments, which doth avail only to salvation; but wholly from the fault of the unworthy themselves, whereby it cometh to pass (and that by an accident) that whilst they receive the signs alone, and that unworthily, they deprive themselves of the Sacraments: and yet for all that, they cease not, on God's behalf, to be perfect Sacraments, whether they be given to the worthy, or to the unworthy. Touching which point, look after, in the Fourteenth Section, the first and second observations upon the Confession of Augsburg.

as yet publicly known, neither the punishment, more gentle or severe, of Ecclesiastical Discipline, nor even excommunication, hath been put in force against those which have behaved themselves more stubbornly; those Sacraments which they do administer, may be received of them, if so be that they do administer them according to the will, mind, and institution of Christ: the which thing also the Constitutions of the ancient Church do confirm. For the virtue and efficacy of the Sacraments doth neither consist in him, nor depend on him, who doth either administer them, whosoever he be, or doth receive them; but it consisteth in the institution, and in the commandment that was most absolute and mighty in authority, and in the word of the author of the Sacraments, to wit, of our Lord Jesus Christ on which one thing they do rely, and have from thence whatsoever they are able to do. Nevertheless, the Ministers must thoroughly look to it, and take good heed, lest, whilst by their labour they be serviceable to others, " they themselves become reprobates, or worthy to be rejected:" 1 Cor. ix. 27. and also, lest "they give holy things to dogs, or cast pearls before swine." Matt. vii. 6. Also the people must endeavour by all means to take heed, that they do not in any case receive the Sacraments with the scandal or offence of the Church, and the proper danger of the salvation of their souls; that is, to their own fault and judgment: whereof we made mention before.

may

V. FROM THE CONFESSION OF FRANCE.

Art. 34. We believe that there be Sacraments adjoined to the word, for the more ample confirmation thereof; to wit, that they be pledges and tokens of the grace of God, whereby our weak and rude faith may be helped. For we confess that these outward signs be such, that God, by the power of his Holy Spirit, doth work by them, that nothing may be there represented to us in vain. Yet we think that the whole substance and truth of them is in Christ Jesus; from whom if they be separated, they be nothing else but vain shadows and smoke.

Also, Art. 35. We acknowledge that there be only two Sacraments, common to the whole Church, &c. (That which followeth, pertaineth to the Thirteenth Section.)

Art. 10.

VI. FROM THE CONFESSION OF ENGLAND.

Moreover we allow the Sacraments of the Church, that is to say, certain holy signs and ceremonies, which Christ would we

should use; that by them he might set before our eyes the mysteries of our salvation, and might more strongly confirm the faith which we have in his blood, and might seal his grace in our hearts. And these Sacraments, we, together with Tertullian, Origen, Ambrose, Augustine, Jerome, Chrysostom, Basil, Dionysius, and other Catholic Fathers, do call Figures, Signs, Types, Badges, Copies, Forms, Seals, Signets, Similitudes, Patterns, Representations, Remembrances, and Memories; nor do we make doubt, together with the same Doctors, to say that these be certain Visible Words, Seals of Righteousness, and Tokens of Grace. And we do expressly pronounce, that in the Lord's Supper there is truly given unto the believing, the body and blood of the Lord, the flesh of the Son of God which quickeneth our souls, the meat that cometh from above, the food of immortality, of grace, truth, and life; and that the same Supper is the communion of the body and blood of Christ, by the partaking whereof we be revived, strengthened, and fed unto immortality; and whereby we are joined, united, and incorporated into Christ, that we may abide in Him and He in us.

And, in the beginning of Art. 11. Sect. 1. Besides this, we acknowledge, that there be two Sacraments, which, we judge, properly ought to be called by this name: that is to say, Baptism, and the Eucharist. For thus many we see were delivered and sanctified by Christ, and well allowed of the old Fathers, Ambrose, Augustine, and such others.

VII. FROM THE CONFESSION OF SCOTLAND.

Article 21. Of the Sacraments.

As the fathers under the law, besides the verity of the sacrifices, had two chief Sacraments, to wit, Circumcision, and the Passover; (the despisers and contemners whereof were not reputed for God's people; Gen. xvii. 14. Numb. ix. 13.) so we acknowledge and confess, that we, now in the time of the Gospel, have two chief Sacraments only, instituted by the Lord Jesus, and commanded to be used of all those that will be reputed members of his body; to wit, Baptism, and the Supper, or Table, of the Lord Jesus, called the Communion of his body and his blood. And these Sacraments, as well of the Old, as of the New Testament, now instituted of God, not only do make a visible difference betwixt his people and those that were without his league, but also do exercise the faith of his children, and, by participation of the same Sacraments, do seal in their hearts the assurance of his promise, and of that most blessed