Chapter 9: The Sacraments

What the Article says about the nature of a Sacrament has to be taken in connection with the general teaching of the Prayer Book on the subject, and especially of the Catechism, which defines a Sacrament as ‘an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace given unto us, ordained by Christ Himself, as a means whereby we receive the same, and a pledge to assure us thereof.’ It is clear from the Latin version of the Catechism that ‘given’ refers to ‘spiritual grace’, and not to ‘sign’; the sign is ordained by Christ, and the grace is imparted through it. The Article also describes them as the means through which God ‘doth work invisibly in us’, to ‘quicken’ (Latin, excitat, stir up) us, and to ‘strengthen and confirm our faith in Him.’ The opening statement of the Article was aimed at the opinion of the Swiss Reformer, Zwingli, who taught that the Sacraments were but the marks of discipleship, and reminders of the method of our redemption; grace, he said, was not received through them.

The Council of Trent, like the Council of Florence,^[1] recognized seven Sacraments. The Article distinguishes between the two Sacraments ‘ordained’ by Christ, ‘Baptism and the Supper of the Lord’, which it calls ‘Sacraments of the Gospel'; and ‘those five commonly called Sacraments, that is to say, Confirmation, Penance, Orders, Matrimony, and Extreme Unction’. The Catechism recognizes only the two Sacraments of the Gospel as ‘generally necessary to salvation’.^[2]

Concerning ‘those five’, it would seem that ‘commonly called’ does not in the Prayer Book mean ‘wrongly called’,^[3] and therefore those five ‘commonly called Sacraments’ may rightly be termed Sacraments. But they are not Sacraments of the same ‘nature’ as the two Sacraments of the Gospel, mainly because (i) ‘they have not any visible sign or ceremony ordained of God,’ and partly because (ii) they are either only ‘states of life allowed in the Scripture’, or (iii) have developed out of ‘the corrupt following of the Apostles’. Each of the five may be considered under these three points of distinction:—

^[1]1439. Peter Lombard (died 1164) was the first to mention the number as seven.

^[2] ‘Generally’ in the Bible and Prayer Book means ‘universally’. (Cp. A. V. and R. V. of 2 Sam. 17:11; Jer. 48:38.) The ‘General’ Confession is to be said by everyone. Holy Baptism and Holy Communion are necessary for everyone – Jn. 3:5, 4:1, 6:53. Cf. W. G. Wilson, Church Teaching, p. 63 f.

^[3]E.g., ‘The Nativity of our Lord . . . commonly called Christmas Day’; ‘The Fifth Sunday after Easter, commonly called Rogation Sunday’; ‘The First Day of Lent, commonly called Ash Wednesday’; ‘The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, commonly called The Purification of St. Mary the Virgin,’ etc. If it means ‘wrongly called’, it is hard to understand why the Prayer Book contains such alternative titles.


	The Sacraments
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Title Contents Preface Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Site Search: powered by FreeFind Copyright & Credit	What the Article says about the nature of a Sacrament has to be taken in connection with the general teaching of the Prayer Book on the subject, and especially of the Catechism, which defines a Sacrament as ‘an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace given unto us, ordained by Christ Himself, as a means whereby we receive the same, and a pledge to assure us thereof.’ It is clear from the Latin version of the Catechism that ‘given’ refers to ‘spiritual grace’, and not to ‘sign’; the sign is ordained by Christ, and the grace is imparted through it. The Article also describes them as the means through which God ‘doth work invisibly in us’, to ‘quicken’ (Latin, excitat, stir up) us, and to ‘strengthen and confirm our faith in Him.’ The opening statement of the Article was aimed at the opinion of the Swiss Reformer, Zwingli, who taught that the Sacraments were but the marks of discipleship, and reminders of the method of our redemption; grace, he said, was not received through them. The Council of Trent, like the Council of Florence,^[1] recognized seven Sacraments. The Article distinguishes between the two Sacraments ‘ordained’ by Christ, ‘Baptism and the Supper of the Lord’, which it calls ‘Sacraments of the Gospel'; and ‘those five commonly called Sacraments, that is to say, Confirmation, Penance, Orders, Matrimony, and Extreme Unction’. The Catechism recognizes only the two Sacraments of the Gospel as ‘generally necessary to salvation’.^[2] Concerning ‘those five’, it would seem that ‘commonly called’ does not in the Prayer Book mean ‘wrongly called’,^[3] and therefore those five ‘commonly called Sacraments’ may rightly be termed Sacraments. But they are not Sacraments of the same ‘nature’ as the two Sacraments of the Gospel, mainly because (i) ‘they have not any visible sign or ceremony ordained of God,’ and partly because (ii) they are either only ‘states of life allowed in the Scripture’, or (iii) have developed out of ‘the corrupt following of the Apostles’. Each of the five may be considered under these three points of distinction:— ^[1]1439. Peter Lombard (died 1164) was the first to mention the number as seven. ^[2] ‘Generally’ in the Bible and Prayer Book means ‘universally’. (Cp. A. V. and R. V. of 2 Sam. 17:11; Jer. 48:38.) The ‘General’ Confession is to be said by everyone. Holy Baptism and Holy Communion are necessary for everyone – Jn. 3:5, 4:1, 6:53. Cf. W. G. Wilson, Church Teaching, p. 63 f. ^[3]E.g., ‘The Nativity of our Lord . . . commonly called Christmas Day’; ‘The Fifth Sunday after Easter, commonly called Rogation Sunday’; ‘The First Day of Lent, commonly called Ash Wednesday’; ‘The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, commonly called The Purification of St. Mary the Virgin,’ etc. If it means ‘wrongly called’, it is hard to understand why the Prayer Book contains such alternative titles.
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