The summe of Christian religion: deliuered by Zacharias Vrsinus in his lectures vpon the Catechism autorised by the noble Prince Frederick, throughout his dominions: wherein are debated and resolued the questions of whatsoeuer points of moment, which haue beene or are controuersed in diuinitie. Translated into English by Henrie Parrie, out of the last & best Latin editions, together with some supplie of wa[n]ts out of his discourses of diuinitie, and with correction of sundrie faults & imperfections, which ar [sic] as yet remaining in the best corrected Latine.

6 What the sacramental vnion is.

THE foundation or matter in the Sacraments are the rites & ceremonies or externall visible actions instituted by God, which are perfourmed by men after a certaine & so∣lemne maner, & are called by a relatiue or respectiue name signes or sacraments. The terme respected or correlatiue, is Christ & al his benefits, or the internal spiritual working of God in vs according to the promise of the gospell: this is called the thing signed or signified by the sacrament, be∣cause it is signified and confirmed by the outward rite. The relation it selfe that is betweene these, (which maketh both to become relatiues, or respectiues, being in their own na∣ture absolute thinges,) is the order instituted by God, the signifieng of a spirituall thing by a corporall thing, and the sealing of the thing signified. The correlatiues are the things signified and the signes. Heereby now appeareth that this coniunction of thinges with their signes, or sacramentall vnion, is not corporall or local. Nowe this vnion consisteth in two things. 1. Jn a similitude and proportion of the signes with the thinges signified. 2. In the ioint-exhibiting or receiuing of th•• thinges, and in the lawfull and right vse. The faithful onely, in the lawful and right vse, receiue the signs of the ministers, and the things signified of Christ: and when we so receiue both, that is the signe, and the thing signified, the same is called sacramental vnion. For in these it consisteth, and not in a presence of the thing and the signe in one and the same place, and much lesse in any transmut••••ion or trans∣substantiation.

Sacramentall vnion therefore is such, as agreeth to all sa∣craments: and such as was the vnion of Christ with the ould sacraments, such is it also now. A sacrament, is a respe∣ctiue or relatiue word. The foundation we said to bee a cere∣mony instituted by GOD: Christ or the communion of Christ and al his benefits, are the terme. The relation is the

ordination of that rite or ceremony to the thing signified, that is, both Christ himselfe, & his benefits, or the cōmuni∣on and participation of christ and his benefits. For in euery sacrament are these two, the thing signified, and the signes. Now the thing and the sacrament differ, as the relatiue, and the correlatiue. As therefore the things cannot be without the signe: so if you take away the signe from the thing, it re∣maineth no more a signe, because the relation consisteth in the ioining of things: As the master is no more a master, if he haue no seruaunt. Wherefore the thinges and their signes are distinguished, but not sundered and separated. Briefer thus: Jn euery sacrament are the signe and the thing sig∣nified. The thing is christ himselfe and his benefits, or the communion and participation of christ and his benefites. The thing and the sacrament differ in this. The thing is not pro∣perly the sacrament, neither are the signes sacramentes. The signe is not the thing: but if you take away the signe, the thing remaineth no longer, neither the signe, if you take away the thing. Therefore they are to be discerned, not to be sundered. Wherefore these two must be together, so that if one be takē awaie, the other remaineth no longer that, which before it was said to be. Of all this which hath been said we conclude, that there is a sacramentall vnion and cōiunction of the things & signes in sacraments; and it consisteth, ••. Jn a similitude whereby the thing is signified, shadowed, and re∣••••••sented. For if the signes haue not a resemblaunce and si∣militude with the things, they are nowe no longer signes. 2 In the ioint-receiuing of the things and signes. In these consi∣steth the coniunction of the things and signes.