Quest. XCIX. How many sacraments are there appointed by Christ?
Answ. The word sacrament hath so many significations, that it is not fit for the question till it be explained. Passing all others now, we must take notice, 1. That our use of it is not so large as the Latin interpreter who putteth it for Mystery, but for A solemn dedication of man to God by a vow expressed by some sacred ceremony, signifying mutually our covenant to God, and God’s reception of us and his covenant with us. And it is brought into the church from the Roman military oath called a sacrament, in which, as Tertul. “de Cor. Mil.” showeth, the soldier sware fidelity and obedience to Cæsar, renouncing father, mother, &c. for his service, and swearing to prefer it, and its safety, before them all: see Martinius’s reciting the oath out of divers authors. This is our sense of the word; let no man now that taketh it in other sense, pretend therefore that we differ in doctrine.
2. Seeing it is no Scripture word, it is not of necessity to the faith or peace of the church; but when disputers agree not of the sense of the word, they had best lay it by, and use such terms whose sense they can agree on.
3. The name sacrament is either taken from the covenant sworn to, or from the sign or ceremony of consent, by which we oblige ourselves, or from both together.
4. The covenant of christianity is different from a particular covenant of some office; and accordingly the sacrament is to be distinguished.
5. As civil, economical, and ecclesiastical offices are distinct, so are their several sacraments.
6. The solemn renewing of the sacred vow or covenant, without any instituted, obliging sign, is to be distinguished from the renewing it by such a sign of God’s institution: and now I conclude,
1. As the word sacrament is taken improperly secundum quid, from the nobler part only, that is, the covenant, (as a man’s soul is called the man,) so there are as many sacraments as covenants; and there is in specie but one covenant of christianity, and so but one sacrament of christianity, variously expressed.
2. As the word sacrament is taken properly and fully according to the aforesaid description; so there are properly two sacraments of christianity, or of the covenant of grace; that is, baptism, the sacrament of initiation, (most fully so called,) and the Lord’s supper, or the sacrament of confirmation, exercise, and progress.
3. As the word sacrament is taken less properly, defectively, secundum quid, for the same covenant of grace or christianity renewed by any arbitrary sign of our own, without a solemn ceremony of divine institution, so there are divers sacraments of christianity or the covenant of grace, that is, divers solemn renewals of our covenant with God. As, 1. At our solemn transition from the state of infant membership unto that of the adult, when we solemnly own our baptismal covenant, which Calvin and many protestants (and the English rubric) call confirmation. 2. The solemn owning the christian faith and covenant, in our constant church assemblies, when we stand up at the creed or profession of our faith, and all renew our covenant with God, and dedication to him. 3. At solemn days of fasting or humiliation, and of thanksgiving when this should be solemnly done. Especially upon some public defection. 4. Upon the public repentance of a particular sinner before his absolution. 5. When a man is going out of the world, and recommending his soul to God by Christ; all these are solemn renewings of our covenant with God, in which we may use any lawful, natural, or arbitrary signs or expressions, to signify our own minds by, as speaking, subscribing, standing up, lifting up the hand, laying it upon a book, kissing the book, &c. These sacraments are improperly so called; and are divine as to the covenant renewed, but human as to the expressing signs.
4. Ordination is not improperly or unfitly called a sacrament, because it is the solemnizing of a mutual covenant between God and man, for our dedication to his special service, and his reception of us and blessing on us, though imposition of hands be not so solemn a ceremony by mere institution, as baptism and the Lord’s supper. But then it must be noted, that this is not sacramentum christianitatis, a sacrament of the christian covenant; but sacramentum ordinis vel officii particularis, a sacrament of orders, or a particular office; but of divine institution.
5. The solemn celebration of marriage, is an economical sacrament; that is, a solemn obligation of man and woman by vow to one another, and of both to God in that relation, which may be arbitrarily expressed by lawful signs or ceremonies.
6. The solemn covenant of a master with his servant, is on the same account an economical sacrament.
7. The inauguration of a king, in which he is sworn to his subjects, and dedicated to God in that office, and his subjects sworn or consent to him, is a civil sacrament, whether unction be added or not. And so is a judge’s entrance on his office, when it is done so solemnly by an obliging vow or covenant.
8. Confirmation in the papists’ sense, as conferred by chrism on infants for giving them the Holy Ghost, is but an unwarrantable imitation of the old miraculous operation by the apostles, and neither a christian sacrament, nor a warrantable practice, but a presumption.
9. The same may be said of their sacrament of extreme unction.
10. Their sacrament of marriage is no otherwise a sacrament, than the inauguration of a king is; which is approved by God as well as marriage, and signifieth also an honourable collation of power from the universal King.
11. Their sacrament of penance is no otherwise a sacrament than many other forementioned renewings of our covenant are.
12. Therefore the papists’ seven sacraments, or septenary distribution, is confused, partly redundant, partly defective, and unworthy to be made a part of their faith or religion, or the matter of their peevish and ignorant contendings. And they that peremptorily say, without distinguishing, that there are but two sacraments in all, do but harden them by the unwarrantable narrowing of the word.
Of which see Martinius fully in “Onom. de Sacram.”
Bellarmin himself reckoneth five.