passages which have been already quoted sufficiently shew that they are not to be considered as barely external rites: but the more particular design and nature of these 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 fœderal acts of religion. We on our part make certain professions 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 Apostles in his name. Rites and ceremonies, for the more convenient and decent celebration of public worship, may be regulated by the church; but fœderal acts, which imply a signification of the divine will, and a communication of the divine grace, must be authorized by God himself. 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.

EE

of

of an inward spiritual grace, it is to be rejected 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 consequently we find very little upon that subject in the early ecclesiastical writers. However, the Recognitions, which were written at the end of the second century, allow of only two sacraments (p); and Justin Martyr (q), Tertullian (r), Cyril of Jerusalem (s), Augustine (t), and Chrysostom (u), all mention 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 the above two these five-Confirmation, Penance, Orders, Matrimony, and Extreme Unction. Pope Eugenius IV. about the middle of the fifteenth century, pronounced, that these five, as well as the other two, ought to be considered as sacraments. In the following century, all seven were declared to be equally sacraments by the Council of Trent; and from that time they have

(p) Lib. 1:

(q) Apol. cap. 79. et seq. (r) De cor. Mil. cap. 3. lib. cont. Marc.

(s) De Catect.

(t) De Doct. Chr. lib. 3. cap.9. Epist. 23 et 118. (u) In Joan. 85.

have always been acknowledged as such by the Romish Church. On the other hand, our church

asserts, that THOSE FIVE COMMONLY (x)

CALLED SACRAMENTS, THAT IS TO SAY, CONFIRMATION, PENANCE, ORDERS, MATRIMONY, AND EXTREME UNCTION, ARE NOT 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 SCRIPTURE, BUT YET HAVE NOT LIKE NATURE OF SACRAMENTS WITH BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER: FOR THAT THEY HAVE NOT ANY VISIBLE SIGN OR CEREMONY ORDAINED OF GOD.

We shall consider these five Popish sacraments in the order in which they stand in the article, and shall therefore begin with cONFIRMATION, in treating of which, we are to explain in what respect our church receives it as a religious ordinance, and upon what ground it refuses to acknowledge it as a sacrament.

When

(x) That is, which were commonly called so when these articles were drawn up. The number of sacraments was not among the abuses first corrected by the reformers. A sacrament in the Trent catechism is defined to be, a thing subject to sense, which, by God's appointment, has virtue both to signify and to work holiness and righteousness.

When the Apostles at Jerusalem heard that many of the inhabitants of Samaria had embraced 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 Ephesus had been baptized, "Paul laid his hands upon them, and the Holy Ghost came on them (x)." And St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Hebrews, mentions the doctrine of the laying on of hands immediately after the doctrine of baptism (a). Upon these authorities was founded the practice, which prevailed in the primitive church, of persons receiving from the bishop immediately after baptism, a solemn benediction, accompanied with imposition of hands, unction upon the forehead with the holy chrism (b), 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, with oil out of a horn, ever since the time that Aaron

was

(y) Acts, c. 8. v. 14, &c. (z) Acts, c. 19. v. 6. (a) Heb. c. 6. v. 2..

(b) The chrism was made of oil and balsam.

was anointed by Moses; so that Christ himself has his name from Chrism. Then we have the imposition of hands on us, which calls down and invites the Holy Ghost (c)." This ceremony was called Confirmation, as it completed the admission of the person into the Christian church, and qualified him to partake of the Lord's Supper. It was not confined to adults, but infants also received Confirmation as soon as they were baptized, and an opportunity offered of presenting them 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 performed in the Latin church by bishops, as it had 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 the Greek Christians did not allow Confirmation to be a sacrament. We learn from one of the canons of the Council of Illiberis, that, in the time both of Cyprian and of Augustine, Confirmation

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

(d) Hieron. ad Lucif.

(e) Hil. in cap. 4. ad Ephes.

was