A Letter to the Right Rev. Father in God, Richard, Lord Bishop of Oxford, on the Tendency to Romanism Imputed to Doctrines Held of Old, as Now, in the English Church

Art. XXV. On the Sacraments.

On the Sacraments, two sets of charges are brought; one, that we unduly exalt the Sacraments of our LORD; the other that we are not disinclined to ascribe a sacramental character to other rites which the Church of Rome has defined to be Sacraments in the same sense as Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. And these two charges have naturally gone together; for in the school of Calvin and Zuingli, the two great Sacraments have been so lowered, that they who have learned therein, would speak of them in language scarcely so high as we should of rites, which are not "Sacraments of the Gospel." We must then to them appear both to ascribe to these rites, the character of Sacraments, as they conceive of Sacraments, and to exalt the true Sacraments to something higher.

To speak first of that portion of that charge, which relates to Sacraments generally. The caution of our Church on this subject is very remarkable; she no where denies that there are more than two Sacraments, in some sense of the word; nay, in the Articles, Catechism, and Homilies alike, she implies or asserts that there are more; in the Articles she denies only that "those five commonly called Sacra"ments—are to be counted for Sacraments of the Gospel, being such as have grown partly of the corrupt following of the Apostles, partly are states of life allowed in the Scriptures, but yet have not the

like nature of Sacraments with Baptism and the "Lord's Supper:" for in that she says that they "have not the like nature of Sacraments" with the two great Sacraments, she rather implies that some of them have some sacramental character, though not "like" to those two. In like manner, when, in her Catechism she teaches her children, that there are "two

Sacraments, only, ordained by Christ in His Church, generally, [i. e. universally,] necessary to salvation," she implies that there are other rites which might have the name, though not of this high dignity, nor "universally necessary" nor" ordained by Christ "Himself." And precisely this distinction is made in the Homilies, which recognize several "sacraments" in that larger sense, at the very time that, and in the same language as the Articles, they distinguish between them, and the two great Sacraments. "As1 "for the number of them [the Sacraments] if they should be considered according to the exact signifi"cation of a Sacrament, namely for visible signs, expressly commanded in the New Testament, where"unto is annexed the promise of free forgiveness of

sins, and of our holiness and joining in Christ, there "be but two; namely Baptism and the Supper of "the Lord. For although Absolution hath the pro"mise of forgiveness of sins, yet by the express word "of the New Testament, it hath not this promise "annexed and tied to the visible sign, which is imposi

"tion of hands. For this visible sign, (I mean laying on of hands,) is not expressly commanded in "the New Testament to be used in Absolution, as "the visible signs in Baptism and the Lord's Supper are; and therefore Absolution is no such Sacrament as Baptism and the Lord's Supper are, and though "the ordering of ministers hath this visible sign and

promise, yet it lacks the promise of remission of "sin, as all other Sacraments besides the above named "do. Therefore neither it, nor any other Sacrament "else, be such Sacraments as Baptism and the Com"munion are. But in a general acception, the name "of a Sacrament may be attributed to any thing, whereby an holy thing is signified. In which understanding of the word, the ancient writers have given this name not only to the other five, commonly of late years taken and used for supplying "the number of the seven Sacraments, but also to "divers and sundry other ceremonies, as to oil,

And

washing of feet, and such like; not meaning thereby "to repute them as Sacraments, in the same significa"tion that the two fore-named Sacraments are. "therefore St. Augustine, weighing the true signifi"cation and exact meaning of the word, writing to "Januarius, and also in the third book of Christian doctrine, affirmeth that the Sacraments of Christ"ians as they are most excellent in signification, so

are they most few in number;' and in both places "maketh mention expressly of two, the Sacrament "of Baptism and the Supper of the LORD. And

although there are retained by the order of the "Church of England, besides these two, certain "other rites and ceremonies about the institution of "ministers in the Church, Matrimony, Confirmation "of children by examining them of their knowledge "of the articles of faith, and joining thereto the prayers of the Church for them, and likewise for "the Visitation of the sick; yet no man ought to take these for Sacraments, in such signification and meaning, as the Sacraments of Baptism and the "Lord's Supper are; but either for godly states of life, necessary in Christ's Church, and therefore worthy to be set forth by public action and solemnity, by the ministry of the Church, or else judged to be such ordinances, as may make for the "instruction, comfort, and edification of Christ's "Church."

This passage is very remarkable for the principles which it contains, and the caution with which it is expressed; and that, the more, since the object of the writer, as well as of the Article, was to guard against an over-, rather than an under- value of these secondary Sacraments, or Sacramentals': he had then to protest against Romanist error, not against a profane indifference to sacred rites; and yet he not only

1 The word "Sacramentals" is used by Beza, (quoted Hooker, E. P. IV. i. 4. ed. Keble) to designate" any ceremony importing signification of Spiritual things;" the introduction of any such into the Church of GOD, he declares to be a "right grievous sin;" yet, remarkably enough, as Hooker observes, the title "as sacraments"

altogether shrinks from denying that sacred rites may be termed "sacraments," but expressly calls them so, only laying down that they are "not such Sacraments as Baptism and the Communion are," agreeing herein altogether with the Fathers. The modern school may apologize for, or elude the passage, but they clearly would not themselves have so written. (2) He does not even deny that some of those, which are not, in the highest sense, sacraments," have a spiritual gift conveyed in connection with them. On the contrary, of Absolution he expressly says, that "it hath the promise of forgiveness of sins," only "not annexed to the visible sign," and is thereby distinguished from the great Sacraments. So, again, Orders he allows to have both "the visible sign and promise," i. e. of spiritual grace; but not "remission of sins," and thus it also is distinguished from the proper Sacraments. And this coincides with our Ordination Service; for the words, "Receive the Holy Ghost," had been a manifest impiety, unless the act of Ordination were, to those worthily receiving it, accompanied with the gift of the Holy Spirit; as indeed it is expressly affirmed by Holy Scripture, that an inward "gift" was bestowed upon Timothy through his ordination, "Stir up the gift of God which is in "thee by the putting on of my hands, with the lay

which Hooker adopts (1. c.) is used by the same writers, who entitle" the Apostles' imposition of hands" " 'a sign, or as it were sacrament."

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A Letter to the Right Rev. Father in God, Richard, Lord Bishop of Oxford, on ...