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35 VVhat thinges belonge properlie to the sacramentes hauinge re∣spect to the ende wherefore they were ordained of God.
BEholde in generall the pryncypall pointes which these twoo thinges haue in common. And followeth what they haue properlye by them sel∣ues. Fyrst as the sacraments be apper∣tayninge and dependynge vpon the* 1.1 worde of God, and also be ordayned to seale that which is already in vs, that is to say the vnion and coniunctiō
whyche wee haue alreadye by fayth in Iesus Christeb 1.2 it appeareth playne, lye that the true preachinge: of the worde, muste symplye▪ proceede and goe before, and also there oughte to be an vnfaygned confession of fayth, be∣fore the Sacramentes bee dewlye my∣nistred: I vnderstande of those which be of age and dyscression: concernyng Baptisme of younge Chyldren of the faythfull, there muste bee a partycu∣lar respecte, of the whiche wee shall speake hereafter. For as in all Chur∣ches well reformed if it happen to re∣ceyue a paynyme or infidel, hée ought∣to be Cathechument, that is to saye, Discypline, and to make, confession of* 1.3 hys fayth before h•••• bee receyned, to Baptysme, c 1.4 whyche is a publyke and autentike ratificatiō of our Christi∣antye. Therefore Saincte Paule es∣pecially required that euerye one exa∣myne himselfe before he come to the ta∣ble of our Lord d 1.5
Secondlye there is a dyfference be∣twene these twoo thinges (as it ap∣peareth by that whyche hath béene sayde before.) For the worde maye be mynystred wythout Sacramentes, e 1.6 but the Sacramentes can neuer bée lawefullye mynystred wythoute the worde: f 1.7 as it maye bee that an instru∣ment maye be of valewe withoute a seale, but the seale is vtterly vnprofy∣table, namely not called a seale if there be not a certayne instrumente to the whiche it maye bée put for a confyrma∣tion.
Thyrdelye, for asmuche as wyth∣oute fayth we haue no parte wyth Ie∣sus Christe, and so consequentlye wyth¦out fayth we haue no part in the king∣dome of heauen, g 1.8 for the preachinge of the worde is the onely ordinary meane wherwith the holye ghost is serued, to create in vs true faythe, as wee haue shewed here before according as sainte Paule h 1.9 sayth, that fayth commeth by hearynge.
Wherupon we conclude that the prea∣chyng of the worde of God is the onely necessarye meane to saluation, for those which be within age of discretion, ex∣cept it please God to worke extraordy∣narilye in the harte of some one, and so hath not the vse of the Sacramentes. But to bring for the fruite, true faythe must go before, as we haue declared i 1.10 and he y• hath faith hath attayned to Ie∣sus Christe, and consequentlye eternal life: k 1.11 It foloweth necessarilye that first we must haue title and right to eternal life, before we can discerne rightlye the l 1.12 Sacramentes. But those which haue fayth, and yet haue not the meanes to be partakers of the Sacramentes, shall not be depriued nor excluded from sal∣uation. For the necessitie of the Sacra∣mentes extended not so farre as to ex∣clude those out from eternall life which cannot enioye the vse thereof, but thus farre to hym that despiseth them, which no doubt is an act of infidelitie, & wor∣thye of damnation, if he reknowledge
not his fault. As S. Bernard hath very well declared, n 1.13 Saying that it is not y• priuation or lacke of Baptisme which damneth some: dut the contempt of it. Wherefore, we do content our selues with that order which is appointed in the scriptures, as is aforesayd.
Now he ought not to be called a con∣temner of the Sacramentes, whiche hath not the meanes to communicate with thē according to y• rule of the scrip∣tures established in the Church of God.
Fourthly, for as much as the simple word preached, toucheth but one of our sences, but the Sacramentes touche more as the sighte and other corporall sences, and also be distributed with ex∣presse Ceremonies, and of greate signi∣fication: So it is easie to be perceiued how necessarye it is to vs, the vse of the Sacramentes to encrease & entertayne our fayth o 1.14 which after a maner to saye touch our fynger and eye, and alreadye tasteth and féeleth in effect, the commo∣ditie of that whiche wée looke for, as
though we had it and possessed it alrea∣dye, and therefore so farre is it from vs, ••o dispi••e the holye Sacraments, that on the contrary we protest that we cannot worthely as our duty is, extol and mag∣nify the dignitye and lawfull vse of the Sacraments.
a August. 13. homil vpon S. Iohn.
Roma. 4
Al the Fa∣thers make mention of this custom.
c Acts. 4. g. & n. c.
1. Cori. 1••
August. in the questi∣ons vpon ••• Leuiticall question.
Augustine 13. homily vpon saint Iohn.
Rom. 14. d Iohn. 3. d Hebre. 11. b
Roma. 10. c
Hebre. 11. b
Iohn. 6. c
Actes. 4. g &. 8. g. &. 10
Bernarde in the. 77. epistle to Hugo S. Vic••or.
S. Chry. 1••. homely vpon S. Marke.