Works of the Right Rev. Bishop Hay of Edinburgh/Volume 1/Chapter 19
Chapter XIX
Of The Sacraments In General
Q. I. What is a Sacrament?
A. sacrament is an outward sensible action, or sacred sign, ordained by Jesus Christ as a sure and certain means to bring grace to our souls.
Q. 2. How many things are required to make a true sacrament?
A. Three things: first, that there be some outward sensible action performed; secondly, that this be a certain means to bring grace to the soul; and thirdly, that Jesus Christ be the author of it.
Q. 3. What does this outward action consist in?
A. In something said and something done; the thing done is called the matter of the sacrament, and the words spoken the form of it.
Q. 4. To whom does it belong to perform the outward sensible action?
A. The outward action which is properly meant by the word sacrament is the work of men, and it belongs to those to perform it who are authorised and commissioned by Jesus Christ to do so.
Q. 5. To whom does it belong to bestow the inward grace?
A. The pouring down grace to the soul, which, properly speaking, is the effect of the sacrament, is the work of God, as none but God Himself can communicate His grace to the soul.
Q. 6. At what time does God bestow His grace upon the soul?
A. The very same instant that the outward action of any sacrament is completely performed.
Q. 7. Does God ever fail on His part to bestow the grace when the outward action is duly performed?
A. On His part He never fails in this; the connection between the outward sign performed and the inward grace received, is, on the part of God, infallible, being founded upon His fidelity and immutability. For having been pleased to ordain these outward forms to be the instruments, channels, or means by which His grace should be brought to our souls, and having instituted them as an essential part of the Christian religion for this purpose, by so doing He has evidently engaged Himself always to produce the effect whenever the sacrament is performed according to His appointment; therefore, as He is unchangeable and faithful to His engagements, He never will fail on His part to do so.
Q. 8. Is grace always bestowed when the sacrament is duly performed?
A. Alas! it too often happens that the grace of the sacrament is not bestowed, owing to the indisposition of the person who receives it. For though Almighty God is always ready upon His part to bestow the grace, yet if the receiver be indisposed, and His soul incapable of receiving it, the grace will not be given to him, though the outward form be duly administered - not from any failure on the part of God, but from the indisposition of the receiver.
Q. 9. Can you explain this by any example?
A. The familiar process of writing upon paper does so exactly. In writing, when a skilful hand applies the pen and ink, the intended characters never fail to be produced if in the paper there be no impediment. But should it be saturated with oil, not a single letter will be formed. Here the failure arises not from the instruments - the ink, the pen, or the hand that guides it - but from the state of the paper upon which the characters are attempted to be traced. This is a homely but apt illustration of the manner in which the sacraments are prevented from producing their effect on a soul indisposed and incapable of receiving grace.
Q. 10. Is it necessary to be well disposed when one approaches to a sacrament?
A. Most certainly; for if a person presume to receive any sacrament when ill disposed, he not only deprives his soul of the grace of that sacrament, but also commits a grievous sin of sacrilege by profaning those sacred instruments of our salvation. On the other hand, the more perfectly he is disposed by frequent and fervent acts of faith, hope, and charity, and other holy virtues, the more abundant grace he will receive, both because these more perfect dispositions move Almighty God to be more liberal of His graces to him, and they also enlarge the capacity of the soul to receive a more abundant communication of grace.
Q. 11. Can this be explained by any example?
A. As the sacraments are ordained by Jesus Christ to be the never-failing means of communicating His grace to our souls, they therefore contain in themselves an inexhaustible treasure of heavenly grace, from which the soul of every one that approaches them worthily receives as much as it is capable of containing. Now the capacity of the soul depends upon its dispositions - the more perfect they are, the more the capacity of the soul is enlarged, and therefore the greater portion of grace it receives from these heavenly fountains. So that the sacraments may be compared to a fountain, and the soul to a vessel which one carries to it. The fountain, abounding with water, fills every vessel that is applied to it, so far as it can contain; the larger the vessel is, the greater quantity of water it will carry away.
Q. 12. Has this comparison any foundation in Scripture?
A. It is entirely taken from the Scripture, for there the grace of God is compared to water, and the sacraments to the fountain of Jesus Christ, from which that heavenly water flows: thus, " I will pour clean water upon you," says Almighty God, " and you shall be cleansed from all your tilthiness," Ezek. xxxvi. 25 ; and our Saviour, speaking to the woman of Samaria, says, " He that shall drink of the water that I shall give him, shall not thirst for ever; but the water that I shall give him, shall become in him a fountain of water springing up unto everlasting life," John, iv. 13. Isaiah, foreseeing the inexhaustible sources of this heavenly water which were to be ordained by Christ in His holy sacraments, cries out with rapture, " You shall draw water with joy out of the Saviour's fountains! " Is. xii. 3. And the prophet Zacharias, on the same subject, says: " In those days there shall be a fountain open to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for the washing of the sinner and the unclean woman,"Zach. xiii. 1.
Q. 13. Why do you say that a sacrament is a sacred sign?
A. Because the outward action which is used in the sacrament is not only the instrument or means by which the grace of God is actually communicated to our souls, but it also represents to us the nature of that grace which we receive, as the principal thing of which it is the sign; it also reminds us of the passion and death of Jesus Christ, through the merits of which His grace is bestowed upon us, and the eternal salvation of our souls, which is the great end for which He bestows it. Thus St Paul says of baptism, " We who are baptised in Christ Jesus, are baptised in His death." See here how baptism is a sign of the death of Christ; and to put us more effectually in mind of this, the Church makes frequent use of the sign of the cross in administering the sacraments, especially in the most essential part of their administration, which teaches us that the whole virtue of the sacraments flows from the death of Christ upon the cross. The apostle goes on: " For we are buried together with Him by baptism unto death; that as Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also may walk in newness of life," which shows that the sacrament of baptism is a sign of the grace we receive in it, by which we die to sin, and rise to a newness of life, after the example of the resurrection of Jesus. The apostle adds, " But if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection," Rom. vi. 3 , to put us in mind that this holy sacrament is also a sign of our rising again at the last day by a glorious resurrection, as the end for obtaining which it was instituted. In like manner, of the holy communion it is said, " As often as you shall eat this bread and drink this chalice, you shall show the death of the Lord until He come," i Cor. xi. 26. See how it is a memorial of the death of Christ. Also, " He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood, abideth in Me and I in him," John, vi. 57 ; and '" He that eateth Me, the same shall live by Me," ver. 58. See how the action of receiving under the form of bread and wine is a sign of the inward grace. Lastly, "He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood, hath life everlasting, and I will raise him up in the last day," ver. 55. See how it is a pledge of eternal happiness.
Q. 14. Why did God ordain these external signs as the means of communicating His grace to our souls?
A. For several very important reasons: (i.) Li condescension to our weakness. For had man been a being purely spiritual, without any body. Almighty God would doubtless have bestowed His gifts upon him in a manner suitable to such a being, and therefore in a manner purely spiritual. But with us the case is very different. We are composed of a body and a soul; and in our present state of weakness and corruption, the latter is in such subjection to the former that things purely spiritual seldom make a proper impression upon us; nay, by far the greater part of mankind are so enslaved to their senses, that they seem incapable of comprehending anything but what falls under the notice of these organs; so that even the great truths of religion, which they are bound to know, must be suited to their capacity, and made easy and familiar to them by similitudes taken from sensible objects. On this account Almighty God, out of condescension to our weakness, has been pleased to ordain the sensible signs, which we call sacraments, as the instruments of bestowing His grace upon us, that we might the more easily understand the wonderful things He works in our souls by them.
(2.) To confirm our faith in His promises, and be a comfort to our souls. The grace of God, by which we are restored to His friendship and cleansed from our sins, and at the same time strengthened to persevere in His service, is doubtless the most important benefit we can receive from Him in this life; and when we are so unhappy as to have lost His friendship by sin, nothing can be a greater comfort to us than a well-grounded confidence that we are reconciled to Him again. Now, as He has instituted the sacraments with this express promise, that when they are received by a person properly disposed He will never fail on His part to communicate His grace to the soul, this renders the sacraments a great source of consolation • for though we have not an absolute certainty of receiving the grace, because we can never have a certainty of our dispositions being what they ought, yet, as we are absolutely certain of the effects of the sacraments on the part of God, and can have a very high probability of our own dispositions, this is fully sufficient for a well-grounded hope and confidence in God, through the merits of our blessed Redeemer. This degree of certainty - the highest which God allows us in this life - serves, on the one hand, to keep us humble, and to make us " work out our salvation with fear and trembling; " and on the other, gives us a sufficient ground of hope for mercy, and fills us with consolation.
(3.) To unite all the members of His Church in one body; for no society of men can be united unless they be joined by some sensible tie or bond which keeps them together. Now in the Church of Christ the sacraments are bonds which unite all her members, distinguish them from others who do not belong to her, and serve, at the same time, as an open profession of their faith in Jesus Christ, by whom they were ordained: " We are all baptised," says St Paul, " into one body," i Cor. xii. 13 ; and " we being many, are one body, who partake of that one bread," i Cor. x. 17.
(4.) To humble our pride, and teach us our own misery and unworthiness, when we see that all the dispositions we can have, and all the means we can use, are unworthy of the great and inestimable benefit of the grace of justification, and that we are forced after all to submit ourselves to the use of sensible elements for obtaining this favour, and thereby constrained to acknowledge that it is the effect of the pure mercy and goodness of God alone, through the merits of Jesus Christ, and not given as due to any merit in us.
Q. 15. Why do you say that the sacraments are sacred signs, ordained by Jesus Christ.
A. Because the sacraments do not, of their own nature, signify the grace they contain, neither do they do so from the institution of men, much less can any outward action of itself confer the grace of God on our souls. This is wholly owing to the good will and pleasure of Almighty God; for He alone can bestow His grace upon us, and He alone can ordain by what means He pleases to do so; and seeing He has ordained these determined actions which we call sacraments, and no other, as the means of bestowing His grace on man, by these alone, and no other, can we obtain it. Hence it follows that no power upon earth can change what was ordained by Jesus Christ in the outward forms of the sacraments without destroying them entirely; for if any change be made in what He ordained to be done, it is no more the same form to which His grace was annexed, and consequently ceases to be a sacrament at all.
Q. 16. Who are those whom Jesus Christ has authorised and commissioned to administer His sacraments?
A. The administration of the sacraments is one of the sacred powers of the priesthood, which Jesus Christ gave to His apostles, and their successors the bishops and priests of the Church, who are therefore called the "Ministers of Christ, and the dispensers of the mysteries of God,'"' I Cor. iv. 1 , because they are authorised by Christ, as His substitutes, to perform in His name the outward actions, or sacred signs, in which the sacraments consist. So that in the administration of any sacrament two persons always concur, the minister of the sacrament, who, as the organ of Christ, performs the outward part in a visible manner; and Christ Himself, who, as the principal but invisible agent, imparts the inward grace to the soul of the worthy receiver at the very moment that the outward action is performed by His minister.
Q. 17. What things are required in the minister of the sacraments to administer it validly?
A. These three things: (i.) That he be. authorised by Jesus Christ to perform it. Thus the bishops or first pastors of the Church, to whom the plenitude of the priestly powers belong, are authorised by Christ to administer all the sacraments. The priests, who are called the pastors of the second order, are authorised by their office to administer all the sacraments except confirmation and holy orders. The deacons receive power by their ordination to administer baptism with all its solemnities, by commission from the two former; and the inferior orders and all lay persons, both men and women, are authorised, in case of necessity, to administer baptism privately. (2.) That he have the intention at least of doing what the Church does. (3.) That he perform the sacred sign exactly.
Q. 18. Is it not necessary that the person who administers any sacrament be in the state of grace?
A. A person who knows himself to be in the state of sin, and in disgrace with God, and who in. that state should presume to administer any sacrament, would be guilty of a very great sin by so doing; but this would make no difference as to the fruit of the sacrament in the worthy receiver; for the effects of the sacraments are not annexed to the sanctity of the person who administers I them, but to the exact performance of the external rite by a person properly authorised. In this we see the infinite goodness of God, Who, for our greater comfort, would not let the efficacy of His sacraments depend on the sanctity of the minister; because this being a circumstance of which we can have no certain knowledge, nor even probable assurance, had it been required, we should have been deprived of all solid ground of hope, and been left in a state of perpetual doubt and fear whether we had received the grace of the sacrament or not.
Q. 19. What kind of grace do the sacraments communicate to the worthy receiver?
A. Two kinds, justifying grace and sacramental grace.
Q. 20. How do they confer justifying grace?
A. If the receiver be in the state of sin, by the sacraments of baptism and penance he receives the first grace of justification, by which he is cleansed from the guilt of his sins, and restored to the friendship of God. These two sacraments are instituted for this very end; baptism to cleanse us from original sin, and also from all actual sins which an adult person may have committed before baptism; and penance, to cleanse us from all the sins we have committed after baptism; and on this account baptism and penance are called the sacraments of the dead, because they raise the soul from the death of sin to the life of grace. On the other hand, if the person be already in the state of grace, and receive any of the other sacraments, he receives by them an increase of justifying grace, by which his soul is rendered more pure and holy, and more beautiful in the sight of God; and therefore these other sacraments are called the sacraments of the living, because they cannot be received worthily unless the soul of the receiver be alive to God by being in the state of grace. The sacrament of penance, also, is sometimes of this number - namely, when the penitent is already in the state of grace, and has only venial sins upon his conscience; for then, with the pardon of these venial sins by the sacrament of penance, he receives an increase of justifying grace also.
Q. 21. What is meant by sacramental grace?
A. Sacramental grace is that particular actual grace which is peculiar to each sacrament, and which strengthens the worthy receiver and enables him to perform the duties and accomplish the ends for which each particular sacrament was intended. Thus in baptism we receive strengthening grace to enable us to lead a Christian life; in confirmation, to profess our faith in the midst of all dangers, and resist all the enemies of our souls in the holy communion, to preserve and augment the life of the soul, and the love of God; in penance, to preserve us from falling back into sin; in extreme unction, to overcome our spiritual enemies in the hour of death; and in holy orders and matrimony, to discharge properly all the duties of these two states of life.
Q. 22. Have the sacraments any other effect besides bringing these graces to the soul?
A. Three of them - baptism, confirmation, and holy orders - produce also another effect, which is to imprint a character or seal in the soul by the operation of the Holy Ghost; of which the Scripture says, in Christ "also believe you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise," Eph. i. 13. And again, "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption," Eph. iv. 30. And of confirmation in particular it is said, " Now He that confirmeth us with you in Christ and He that hath anointed us in God, who hath also sealed us," 2 Cor. i. 21.
Q. 23. What is understood by a character?
A. It is a spiritual mark or sign imprinted in the soul, similar to the impression of a seal upon soft wax, which denotes that the person who receives it is thereby consecrated and dedicated to the service of God, according to the intention for which the sacramant was instituted. Thus the character of baptism denotes that the person who has it is consecrated to God as a Christian, is a member of the Church of Christ, and entitled to all the other sacraments of the Church, as helps to enable him to serve God in that quality. The character of confirmation denotes that the person who has it was dedicated to the service of God as His soldier, and engaged for ever to serve Him in that quality, which the grace of that sacrament enables him to do. The character of priesthood denotes that the person who has it is consecrated to God, to serve at His altar, and that he has received all the sacred powers annexed to that high office.
Q. 24. Does this character remain for ever in the soul?
A. Yes; and on that account the three sacraments which give it can never be received more than once by the same person; for if a person be once a baptised or a confirmed Christian, or a priest, he remains so for ever: and in the next life these sacred characters will be a great increase of glory to those who go to heaven, and of misery to those who go to hell.
Q. 25. How many sacraments are there in the Church of Christ?
A. There are seven - baptism, confinnation, holy eucharist, penance, extreme unction, holy orders, and matrimony.
Q. 26. How can it be proved that there are seven sacraments? Is there any text of Scripture that says so?
A. There is not one text of Scripture which explicitly declares the nature of the sacraments, or determines their precise number. And in this we see the inconsistency of those who pretend to follow no rule but Scripture, and to believe nothing but what is to be found in plain Scripture; while yet they admit two sacraments, and reject the others, though they cannot bring one text of Scripture to authorise their doing so. But that there are seven true and real sacraments instituted by Jesus Christ, and left by Him in His Church for the benefit of His followers, is proved by two unanswerable arguments. First, Because we find in Scripture that there are seven outward actions laid down there, as certain means appointed by God to bring grace to our souls, as will be shown when explaining each sacrament in particular. And, Secondly, Because the Church of Christ in all ages, from the very beginning, has believed and acknowledged the seven sacraments above mentioned, and has administered them as means of grace to her children.
Q. 27. Are all obliged to receive the sacraments according to the need we may have of them?
A. Some of the sacraments are only intended for particular purposes and states of life, and those only are obliged to receive them who embrace those states, such as holy orders and matrimony; but the others are intended for the benefit of all Christians, and therefore all are obliged to receive them, otherwise the grace to remedy their wants will not be granted. For as they are ordained by Jesus Christ as the means by which He bestows His grace upon our souls, and as the ultimate condition for this purpose, presupposing all the other conditions required as dispositions on our side, and as He is free master of His own gifts, and may require what condition He pleases from His creatures, in order to receive them, it is not enough that we perform some of these conditions - we must perform them all; and the sacraments being the last required, and which serve as the very instruments for bestowing upon us the grace intended by them, it is plain that the other conditions without this will not be sufficient, and therefore that it is absolutely necessary to receive the sacraments where they can be had, in order to receive the grace annexed to them.
Q. 28. Why are so many ceremonies used in the administration of the sacraments?
A. To understand this it will be necessary to explain the nature of ceremonies more particularly.
Appendix To The Sacraments In General: Of Sacred Ceremonies
Q. 29. What is properly meant by a rite or ceremony?
A. A rite or ceremony, taken in its most general sense, is an outward action or sign, used by men either for promoting a becoming decorum in the necessary intercourse of society, or for recalling to our mind the remembrance of some truth which does not fall under the notice of our senses, or for exciting certain affections in the mind of those who are present, or for testifying to others the affections of our souls. Thus in all courts of justice there are certain outward forms or ceremonies appointed to be observed as necessary for carrying on the business done there with regularity and order. The ensigns of royalty in the king, robes and badges of office used by magistrates, are so many ceremonies which remind us of the dignity of their station, the authority with which they are invested, and excite the sentiments of respect due to their character. In common life itself the outward actions of bowing or uncovering the head are ceremonies by which we testify our mutual regard and esteem; and the very rules of good breeding in company are but so many rites or ceremonies by which we express our respect for one another, excite and improve our mutual benevolence, and carry on the intercourse of life with becoming decorum and propriety.
Q. 30. Is the use of ceremonies necessary in human life?
A. According to the present providence under which we live, and the frame and disposition of human nature, the use of external rites or ceremonies is so absolutely necessary that it is impossible to discharge the ordinary duties of society, whether civil or religious, without them.
Q. 31. What is meant by a sacred rite or ceremony?
A. A sacred ceremony is an outward action or sign, ordained by the Church of Christ, to be used in the external exercise of religion, and chiefly for three reasons:
(i.) For greater decorum the necessary uniformity in performing the exterior duties of religion. It is impossible to perform the outward acts of religion, such as administering the sacrifice, offering up sacrifice, or the like, without using some external action in doing so - that is, without using ceremonies. Now, in the choice of these, two things ought chiefly to be had in view: First, that the most proper and orderly be used; and, secondly, that all the members of the Church use the same. The majesty of God and the sanctity of religion require the first, in order to excite in the minds of men proper sentiments of reverence and devotion; and experience itself shows how much the sacred ceremonies of religion conduce to this end. The uniformity in religion, so necessary for preserving union among Christians, demands the second, which has also this good effect, that no one is ever at a loss to join with those of his own religion in all its duties, in whatever part of the world he may find himself And this shows how necessary it is that these ceremonies should be enjoined by the public authority of the Church; because, if it were left to every one to use such ceremonies in religion as he pleases, neither of these two ends could be procured; all would be disorder and confusion.
(2.) That by these outward ceremonies we may give to Almighty God the external worship of our bodies, expressing by their means the internal dispositions of our souls. Thus by using the sign of the cross we profess our faith in a crucified Saviour, and that all our hopes are founded on the merits of His death upon the cross; by kneeling or bowing our bodies, which are postures of humility and supplication, we show our interior dependence on Almighty God, and the respect and reverence we give Him, like the humble publican in the Gospel; and so of others. Now this external worship is an honour offered to God, as it manifests to others our piety towards Him, and by our example excites them to the same; when it proceeds from the heart, is highly agreeable to Him, and what He requires from us; besides, experience teaches that the internal respect and reverence of our souls are not a little influenced by the reverential posture of our bodies.
(3.) That by these outward ceremonies the great truths and instructions of religion may be represented in a sensible and striking manner to the eyes of the people.
There are numbers of people, especially of the lower class, of dull and heavy understandings, who never learn to read, having received no proper education, and who, consequently, are incapable of improving their minds by the necessary knowledge of religion, through their own study. This is the case with great multitudes in all nations at present, but was much more so before the invention of printing, when perhaps not one in many thousands knew to read. For all these it is most necessary to use proper ceremonies, by which the truths of religion may be set before them, that by seeing these daily performed, the truths represented by them may be more deeply imprinted in their minds, and become familiar to them. Thus the sacred ceremonies used in the administration of the sacraments represent either the dispositions with which we ought to receive them, the effects which they produce in our souls, or the obligations we contract by receiving them, as we shall see more particularly under each sacrament.
Q. 32. By whom are religious ceremonies instituted?
A. They were first instituted by God Himself from the very earliest ages of the world; for we find Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam, employed in offering up sacrifices and gifts to God; Noah did the same after the Flood, as also the patriarchs after him. Now they must have been induced to this (as an act of external worship due to God, and which necessarily required some external action, indicating the dispositions of their souls) either by the express command of God Himself, or by the light of reason; for we find that their doing so was pleasing to God, and received His approbation. Besides, God Almighty, in express terms, instituted the sacred ceremony of circumcision with Abraham, as a sign of the covenant made with him, and commanded it to be used by all his posterity, under pain of death, as a distinctive mark of his true religion. Of Jacob, we read that, after his mysterious dream, "arising in the morning he took the stone which he had laid under his head, and set it up for a title, pouring oil upon the top of it,... and he made a vow," Gen. xxviii. i8. And God highly approved of this religious ceremony used by him, saying, " I am the God of Bethel, where thou didst anoint the stone, and made a vow to me," Gen. xxxi. 13. And when afterwards He was pleased to reveal to Moses the whole form of religion with which He required to be worshipped by His people, what a number of august and mysterious ceremonies did He not appoint to be used in all the parts of it, both as memorials of the favours conferred on that people, and as types and figures of the more perfect religion to be afterwards revealed by Jesus Christ! and these ceremonies He commanded to be observed with the strictest attention, so as to threaten the severest punishment upon those who should profane them. In the second place, sacred ceremonies were instituted by Jesus Christ, and the use of them is highly approved and authorised by His example. In curing the man who had been born blind, " He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and spread the clay upon his eyes; and said to him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloe;.. and he went, and washed, and he came seeing," John, ix. 6. Again, in curing the deaf and dumb man, " Taking him aside from the multitude, He put His fingers into his ears, and spitting. He touched his tongue; and looking up to heaven. He groaned and said, Ephpheta, that is, Be thou opened; and immediately his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke right," Mark, vii. 11. What a number of ceremonies were used by Jesus Christ upon these two occasions! and for what end? They surely were by no means necessary for curing these two men. A word from Him was fully sufficient for that purpose; but as His actions are recorded for our example, we have in these two cases His sacred authority in approbation of holy ceremonies. Add to His example His express command and institutions; for at the Last Supper, when He instituted the holy sacrament, "Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke, and gave to His disciples," Mat. xxvi. 26. And after He had done so, with all these ceremonies He gave them express orders to do what He had done, which is literally observed throughout the whole Church to this day. Also, on the day of His resurrection " He breathed on His apostles," and said, "receive ye the Holy Ghost," to show, by that ceremony of breathing upon them, the communication of His Divine Spirit which He thereby gave them , John, xx. 22. Thus Jesus Christ instituted sacred ceremonies by His command, and authorised them by His example; and the Church, on that account, has retained and uses several of those very rites, here related as done by Him, upon different occasions, as we shall afterwards see.
In the third place, sacred ceremonies were instituted by the apostles and their successors; for though our blessed Saviour Himself ordained some, and authorised the use of them in general by His example, yet He left the determination of particular ceremonies to His apostles and their successors in office, the pastors of the Church, whom He appointed, with full authority, to ordain whatever might be proper, according to circumstances, " for the edification of the body of Christ," Eph. iv. And we find that many of the ceremonies used at!Mass, and in administering the sacraments, were instituted by the apostles themselves, as they were used universally through out the whole Church from the very earliest ages, and are attested by the earliest Christian writers to have been received from them. Of this kind are the sign of the cross, holy water, and the greater part of the ceremonies of baptism. The Church also, at different times, has instituted such sacred ceremonies as she judged proper, and circumstances required, according to the power left with her by Jesus Christ for that end.
Q. 33. But are not the religious ceremonies used in the Catholic Church contrary to the simplicity and humility of the Gospel?
A. This is, indeed, a popular outcry against the Church, under an appearance of piety; but on examination it will be discovered to be without reason and devoid of truth: for (i.) Whatever conduces to preserve order and decorum in the worship of God cannot be contrary to the humility and simplicity of religion; for right reason teaches us that order and decorum ought to be observed in all things, but especially in what regards the service of the Almighty; and St Paul expressly commands that "all things be done decently and according to order," i Cor. xiv. 40. And after having laid down some general rules down, he concludes, " The rest I will set in order when I come," i Cor. xi. 34. Now all the public ceremonies of the Church are ordained for this end, and to preserve uniformity in the externals of religion. (2.) Whatever has a connection with virtue, conduces to our improvement in any virtue, and is used for no other view but to render us more virtuous and better disposed towards the service of God, cannot possibly be against the humility and simplicity of religion; for this can never forbid any external action which is performed with an humble and sincere heart in order to honour God. Now all the ceremonies of religion are intended to excite in our minds a high idea of the magnificence and grandeur of Almighty God, and a just sense of our own misery and wretchedness; and they are intended to give public homage to God as our sovereign Lord, and to acknowledge our dependence upon Him. (3.) The humility and simplicity of the Gospel consist in a deep sense of the infinite majesty of God, and of our own unworthiness, and in a total submission to Him, seeking His honour and glory, and the accomplishment of His holy will in all things. Now experience itself teaches that nothing contributes more effectually to excite in our souls a reverential awe and fear of the Divine Majesty, with a sense of our own nothingness in His presence, than those solemn and august ceremonies which the Church uses upon public occasions. (4.) Sacred ceremonies, so far from being contrary to the humility and simplicity of the Gospel, are grounded on the very constitution of our nature, which must be instructed in spiritual things by such helps as fall under our senses; for the same reason that Almighty God, by means of outward things in the holy sacraments, confers His grace, which is spiritual and invisible, on our souls. By not paying due attention to this, many, on pretence of refining religion, and rendering it more spiritual, have begun by retrenching ceremonies which they called superfluous, and from this have proceeded to cut off some of the very essentials of religion: witness the sacrament of baptism, which many nowadays are not ashamed to teach, is nowise necessary to salvation - nay, that it is superstition to believe it to be so.
Q. 34. Do not many of these ceremonies savour too much of worldly pomp, which nourishes pride instead of humility- such as the ornaments of churches, the magnificence of priestly vestments, and the like?
A. It is surprising to see how ingenious people are to deceive themselves when they wish to be deceived. This also is a common reproach of the enemies of the Catholic Church, but shows with how little consideration they speak when they speak against her. Let us suppose the greatest splendour and magnificence to be used in the cases mentioned, in whose heart can they be imagined to nourish pride or vanity? not in the people who see them, more than the ornaments of a royal palace, or the robes which the king uses, could nourish pride in the minds of any of his subjects who were seeing them. On the contrary, experience in both cases teaches that they produce the very opposite effect, and inspire the beholders with sentiments of respect and reverence - not in the priests who use them, for these sacred vestments, however rich and magnificent they may be, serve only to place before their eyes the passion of Jesus Christ, which they represent, and the sacred virtues of humility, purity, mortification, and love of Jesus Christ, with which His priests ought to be adorned. These are humbling lessons for every priest, which the sacred vestments he uses continually preach to him - very opposite, indeed, to worldly pride and vanity. And what shows, beyond reply, how far the magnificence and splendour of churches and sacred ornaments are from inspiring sentiments of pride, is, that we learn, from the history of all ages, that those holy saints who were most remarkable for their profound humility and solid virtue were, at the same time, the most zealous for the splendour and magnificence of everything relating to the service of God. On the other hand, those who cry out most against those things are generally persons devoid of all sense of piety and reverence for God, full of themselves and their own opinions, and whose hearts are ulcerated with a malignant envy at seeing that employed for the honour of the Almighty which they would rather see used for themselves. Finally, Can anything be conceived more splendid and magnificent than what God Himself commanded to be done both in the sacred vestments used by His priests in the old law, and the profusion of riches in everything regarding His temple? and shall we accuse Him on this account of encouraging worldly pride and vanity in His people? This example of God Himself gives the most ample sanction to all the magnificence that can be used in His holy service.
Q. 35. Ought we, then, to pay a great respect to sacred ceremonies?
A. Most undoubtedly; they deserve that great respect and veneration should be paid them, on account of the ends for which they are used, the sacred truths and holy instructions which they represent, and also the authority by which they are instituted; and therefore the Church, in the General Council of Trent, condemns and pronounces an anathema on all those who shall presume to say that it is lawful to despise or ridicule, or by private authority to alter or change, any of the received and approved ceremonies of the Church. - Sess. vii. can. 13. God Himself approves the respect we pay them, both by the commendations given in Scripture to those who used them, as the humble Publican and St Mary Magdalen, and also by the miraculous victory given to the people of God over the Amalekites, which in a manner wholly depended upon the sacred ceremony used by Moses of lifting up his hands in prayer during the engagement; for " when Moses lifted up his hands, Israel overcame, but if he let them down a little, Amalek overcame," Exod. xvii. 11. But as Moses' hands were heavy, " Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands on both sides," till a complete victory was gained. And, indeed, those who speak against the sacred ceremonies which the Church uses manifestly discover either the pride of their own heart, in presuming to be better judges of these matters than the Church of Christ, which He has authorised to appoint them, or their contempt for her sacred authority, or at least a gross ignorance of the subject of which they speak, and of the sacred and important truths which these holy ceremonies represent and convey to the mind.
Q. 36. Why does the Church make use of the Latin language in administering the sacraments, and in her other public offices of religion?
A. When the Christian religion was first published to the world, Latin was the common language of all the western parts of Europe, throughout the Roman empire, and all the public offices of the Church were performed in that language. In process of time, when many barbarous nations broke in upon and dismembered that empire, they soon altered the Latin language, and, by mixing it with their own, produced the various languages now commonly in use in the different European nations. Amidst these changes of languages, the Church wisely judged it necessary to preserve the use of the Latin in all her public offices, chiefly for two reasons: First, to preserve greater uniformity in the externals of religion among all her members, from which this great good also arises, that all her members, wherever they go, at whatever distance from their own country, always find themselves, as it were, at home in all the exercises of religion, as they everywhere find both the selfsame things done, and the same language used, to which they have been accustomed from their infancy. Secondly, all living languages are subject to daily changes, both in the way of speaking and in the meaning of words; this must have occasioned frequent translations of the public Church offices had they followed the changes in the common language of every country; and this could not have been done without introducing much obscurity and many equivocal expressions, which, of course, would have given occasion to introduce new, and consequently false, opinions in the sacred truths of revelation itself: whereas the Latin, being a dead language, fixed in its signification, and incapable of change, the constant use of it in all religious offices contributes, in no small degree, to preserve the purity of religion itself, and shuts the door against all dangerous novelties.
Q. 37. But is not this a loss to the people who do not understand Latin?
A. By no means; for in the first place, the part which the priest has to perform, both in the administration of the sacraments, and in celebrating the holy sacrifice of the Mass, is not to pray with the people, but to pray to God for them in their name, as their deputy and representative, and the greater part of what he says, and everything he does, is suited to the public character he bears so that, though he were to use the vulgar language, the people could not join in saying the same prayers, much less could they do what he does. But in the second place, as they are instructed from their childhood in the nature of what he does, and accustomed to it by daily practice, they have prayers in their manuals and books of devotion, which are adapted to them, and by which they accompany him through every part of his functions in manner proper for their state. Neither are they ignorant of the nature of the prayers he offers up for them, as they have been explained in their books of instruction, and therefore can find no difficulty in uniting their prayers and intentions for the same end.
Q. 38. Is this practice authorised by the Scripture?
A. It is; for during the Babylonish captivity the people lost the knowledge of the old Hebrew language, in which the Scriptures were written, insomuch that, upon their return to Jerusalem after the captivity, when Nehemias and Esdras the priest read the law to the people, they were obliged " to interpret to them the words of the law,"Nehem. viii. 13; and from, that period the vulgar language they spoke was the Syriac, into which the Scriptures were not translated from the Hebrew till after our Saviour's time, and yet all their public offices were taken from the law, psalms, and prophets in the old Hebrew. Besides, we find this command given by God Himself: "Let no man be in the tabernacle when the high priest goeth into the sanctuary to pray for himself and his house, and for the whole congregation of Israel, until he come out," Lev. xvi. 17. In consequence of this, it is recorded of Zacharias, St John Baptist's father, that when, " according to the custom of the priestly office, it was his lot to offer incense, going into the temple of the Lord, all the multitude of the people was praying without, at the hour of incense," Luke, i. 9 ; where we see, by God's express command, public prayers made by the priest expressly for the people, and the sacrifice of incense offered for them, and yet not one of them permitted so much as to be present, much less to hear and understand what the priest was saying to God for them; yet they assisted without at this function, joined in prayer, and doubtless were no less partakers of its benefits than if they had both heard and seen the whole. Finally, Any apparent inconvenience that might seem to arise from having the public offices of the Church in the Latin language, because not understood by the unlearned, is certainly a mere nothing if compared to the greater advantages of using that language, as we have seen above, and to the unavoidable detriment that would follow were these public offices subject to all the variety of vulgar languages, and to the changes which they are continually undergoing.
Q. 39. Why is the sign of the cross so frequently made use of in the administration of the sacraments?
A. The sign of the cross is a sacred ceremony which is used by Catholics more frequently, both in the administration of the sacraments, and in offering up the holy sacrifice, and upon many other occasions, than any other ceremony whatsoever, and there are several strong and important reasons for doing so, which are as follows: -
(i.) This sacred sign of the cross is a means of reminding us of the two great and most important truths of our holy religion, the Unity and Trinity of God, and the incarnation and death of Jesus Christ, which two mysteries are the sum of all Christian knowledge; for there are two things in this life which it is chiefly important to know - our last end, for which we were created, to which all our desires ought to tend, and in which our true and perfect happiness is only to be found; and the way or means by which we can arrive at it. Now God alone is our last end, in Him alone we can find our perfect and essential happiness; and Jesus Christ is the only way by which we can attain to the possession of this happiness, for " He is the way, the truth, and the life; the way by His example, the truth by His doctrine, and the life of our souls by His grace; and " no man," says He, " Cometh to the Father but by Me," John, xiv. 6. So that it is only by imitating His example, believing and obeying His doctrine, and assisted by His grace, that we can be saved; and therefore, to know God and Jesus Christ as we ought, is to know all that is necessary to make us eternally happy; this Jesus Christ Himself declares, saying to His Father, " This is life eternal, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom Thou hast sent," John, xvii. 3. Now the sign of the cross is a memorial of this wholesome knowledge, and serves to keep us in mind of it, as being the most important thing we have to think upon, or take an interest in, in the whole world; for the words we pronounce when making this sacred sign contain an invocation of the blessed Trinity, one God and three Persons, and the very sign itself recalls to our mind the incarnation and death of Jesus Christ, God made man.
(2.) The sign of the cross is an external profession of our faith, a distinguishing mark of the members of the Church of Christ; it is the livery of Jesus Christ, by which His followers are known and distinguished from Turks, Jews, heretics, and unbelievers. In making this sign we openly profess that we believe in one God and three Persons; that God the Son was made man, and died on the cross for us, and that we are Catholics, and members of the Church of Christ - that is, of that sacred body of which Christ is the head.
(3.) It is also, on many occasions, an external protestation of our hope and confidence in God, through the merits of Christ, " by Whom we have access in one Spirit to the Father," Eph. ii. 18 ; for when we begin our prayers by making the sign of the cross, we by this profess that our only hope of being heard is through the merits of the cross of Jesus; when we offer up anything to God Almighty, and dedicate it to His service, we sign it with the sign of the cross, to signify that we have no hope of its being acceptable to Him but only through the merits of the death of Jesus; when we bless ourselves or other creatures, we make the sign of the cross, to declare that we expect no blessing from God but through the passion and cross of Jesus; when we administer any sacrament, we make use of the same sacred sign, to show that all the benefit we expect from the sacrament flows only from the same Divine source, the merits of Jesus.
(4.) It is also a memorial of the infinite love of God toward us, who out of pure love for us gave His only begotten Son to die on the cross for our salvation; and as nothing contributes more effectually to inflame our hearts with love towards our friends than the memory of their love to us, hence this sacred sign is an incentive to our love of God and of Jesus Christ; because it is a memorial of His love to us, and of all the great benefits He obtained for us by its means; of His victory over Satan, sin, and hell, His blotting out the handwriting that was against us, His reconciling us with God, and opening to us the kingdom of heaven.
(5.) It is a great defence against all the assaults of the devil. St Paul tells us that Jesus Christ, by His death on the cross, " spoiled principalities and powers, and made a show of them confidently, triumphing openly over them in Himself," Col. ii. 15. It was by the cross that the devil was crucified invisibly by Jesus Christ, his hands bound, his power taken from him, and his kingdom destroyed; for this reason he abhors the cross of Christ, and the very sign of it is hateful to him; and on this account all the holy Fathers, those ancient and venerable champions of the Christian religion, have left in their writings the warmest commendations of this holy sign, as a most powerful defence and protection against our infernal enemies; and many examples are recorded in the history of the Church, in all ages, of its wonderful efficacy in this respect, and of numberless miracles being wrought by the holy servants of God by its means.
(6.) It is the sacred mark ordered by God Himself to be put upon all those that belong to Him, as a means to defend them against the destroying angels in the day of His wrath, which is thus declared in Scripture: " The Lord called to the man that was clothed with linen, and had a writer's inkhorn at his loins, and said to him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and mark Thau upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and mourn for all the abominations that are committed in the midst thereof. And to the others, (the six angels that had each one his weapon of destruction in his hand, ver. 2) He said in my hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and strike; let not your eye spare, nor be ye moved with pity; utterly destroy old and young maidens, children, and women; but on whomsoever ye shall see Thau, kill him not," Ezek. ix. 4. Thau is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and in the old Hebrew characters was the form of a cross, as our T is to this day, as is attested by St Jerome and other interpreters. The same vision was repeated to St John in the Revelations, who says: " I saw another angel descending from the rising sun, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was given to hurt the earth, and the sea, saying. Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, till we seal the servants of our God in their foreheads," Rev. vii. 2. All which was prefigured by the blood of the paschal lamb, which God ordered His people in Egypt to " put upon the side-posts and upper door-post of their houses " ( Exod. xii. 7 ) as their defence when He sent His angel to destroy all the first-born of Egypt: " For when I shall see the blood," says He, " I shall pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you," ver. 13. The paschal lamb was a type of Jesus Christ upon the cross, and the sign of His cross upon our foreheads is a sign of His precious blood shed upon the cross for us, which, like the blood of the paschal lamb, preserves us from the destroying angel.
Q. 40. In what manner must we use this holy sign in order to be partakers of these benefits?
A. St Paul, speaking of the ceremony of circumcision, says: " Circumcision profiteth, indeed, if thou keep the law; but if thou be a transgressor of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.... The circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit, not in the letter," Rom. ii. 25 , 29. As circumcision was the mark of the people of God under the law, so the sign of the cross is the mark of the followers of Christ under the Gospel; consequently, " The sign of the cross profiteth, indeed, if we obey the Gospel, if it be planted in the heart and spirit as well as in the body;" but without this it will only be an empty sign, or rather will turn out to our greater condemnation. The sign of the cross is the sign of humility, of patience, of meekness, of charity, the darling virtues of Jesus Christ, which in the most admirable manner He practised upon the cross. What will it profit, then, to make the sign of the cross upon the body, if these virtues, which it represents, are not seated in the heart and spirit?
Q. 41. Is the use of the sign of the cross very ancient in the Church?
A. It is as ancient as Christianity itself; and the practice of the primitive Christians in using it is thus described by Tertullian, a learned Christian writer of the second century: " At ever)- step, at our coming in and going out, when we put on our clothes or shoes, when we wash, when we sit down to table, when we light a candle, when we go to bed - whatever conversation employs us, we imprint on our foreheads the sign of the cross." - De Coron.Milit, c. 3.
For all the above reasons, then, this sacred sign is frequently made use of by the members of the Catholic Church, both in their private devotions and in the public exercises of religion, and in a particular manner in the administration of all the sacraments, that it may serve to keep us perpetually in mind that all the graces and benefits we receive from them flow only from the merits of the passion and death of Jesus Christ upon the cross, as will appear in explaining the ceremonies of each sacrament in particular.