The Word and Sacraments per se break up the absoluteness of the natural bondage ; they bring an instant possibility of salva- tion. Grace is in them so far prevenient that he who has them may be saved, and if he be lost, is lost by his own fault alone." 1
§ 14. Doctrine of the Church of Rome.
The Canons of the Council of Trent on the subject of bap- tism are brief and comprehensive. The Canons anathematize those who teach that Christian baptism has no superior efficacy to that of John ; that true, natural water is not essential in the ad- ministration of this sacrament, or that the language of our Lord in John iii. 5, " Except a man be born of water," etc., is to be understood metaphorically ; that heretical baptism if performed in the right way and with the intention of doing what the Church does is not valid ; that baptism is a matter of indifference, and not necessary to salvation ; and also those who deny the propriety, necessity, or efficacy of infant baptism, etc. The Roman Cate- chism enters much more fully on the subject. It defines baptism as the " sacramentum regenerationis per aquam in verbo." Its material is " omne naturalis aquae genus, sive ea maris sit, sive fluvii, sive paludis, sive putei, aut fontis, quae sine ulla adjunctione aqua dici solet." 2 The form prescribed by Christ in Matthew xxviii. 19, is to be observed. As baptism is an ablution it may be performed by immersion, affusion, or sprinkling. There should be sponsors to assume the responsibility of the religious education of the newly baptized. Sponsorship is such an impediment to marriage that if a sponsor should marry his or her godchild, the marriage would be null and void. Baptism by laymen or by women, in cases of necessity, is allowable. Infants receive in baptism spiritual grace ; " non quia mentis suae assensione cre- dant, sed quia 'parentum fide, si parentes fideles fuerint, sin minus, fide (ut D. Augustini verbis loquamur) universae societatis sanctorum muniuntur.' " Those who are admitted to baptism must desire to be baptized. Hence the unwilling, the insane, the un- conscious (nisi vitae periculum immineat), are not the proper sub- jects of baptism. In the case of infants, the will of the Church answers for their will. Faith also is necessary ; for our Lord says, " He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." So also is repentance. " Cum baptismus ob earn rem expetendus sit, ut Christum induamus, et cum eo conjungamur, plane constat,
1 The Conservative Reformation and its Theology, p. 439. 8 n. ii. quaes. 4, 6 [7] ; Streitwolf , Libri Symbolici, vol. i. pp. 259, 260 vol. m. 39
610 PART HI. Ch. XX.— THE MEANS OF GRACE.
merito a sacra ablutione rejiciendum esse, cui in vitiis et peccatig perseverare propositum est ; praesertim vero, quia nihil eorum, quae ad Christum, et Ecclesiam pertinent, frustra suscipiendum est : inanemque baptismum, si justitiae, et salutis gratiam specte- mus, in eo futurum esse, satis intelligimus, qui secundum carnem ambulare, non secundum Spiritum cogitat : etsi, quod ad sacra- mentum pertinet, perfectam ejus rationem sine ulla dubitatione consequitur, si modo, cum rite baptizatur, in animo habeat id accipere, quod a sancta Ecclesia administratis." 1
The first effect of baptism is the remission of sin. And by remission is meant not only pardon, but the removal of sin. The soul is so cleansed that nothing of the nature of sin remains in it. " Hoc primum tradere oportet, peccatum sive a primis parentibus origine contractum, sive a nobis commissum, quamvis etiam adeo nefarium sit, ut ne cogitari quidem posse videatur, admirabili hujus sacramenti virtute remitti, et condonari." The Catechism quotes the anathema pronounced by the Council of Trent on those who teach, " Quamvis peccata in baptismo remittantur, ea tamen prorsus non tolli, aut radicitus evelli, sed quodam modo abradi, ita ut peccatorum radices animo infixae adhuc remaneant." 2 The language of the Council is, " In renatis nihil odit Deus, quia nihil est damnationis iis, qui vere consepulti sunt cum Christo per bap- tisma in mortem : qui non secundum carnem ambulant, sed vete- rem hominem exuentes, et novum, qui secundum Deum creatus est, induentes, innocentes, immaculati, puri, innoxii, ac Deo dilecti effecti sunt." 8 " Concupiscentia, quae ex peccato est, nihil aliud est, nisi animi appetitio, natura sua rationi repugnans : qui tamen motus si voluntatis consensum, aut negligentiam conjunctam non habeat, a vera peccati natura longe abest." 4
One of the propositions which Perrone lays down on this sub- ject, is, that " Per D. N. J. C. gratiam, quae in baptismo confer- tur, reatus originahs peccati remittitur, ac tollitur totum id, quod veram et propriam peccati rationem habet." 6
Baptism, according to Romanists, avails not only for the remis- sion and removal of all sin, but also for the inward sanctification of the soul. " Exponendum erit, hujus sacramenti virtute nos non solum a malis, quae vere maxima dicenda sunt, liberari, verum etiam eximiis bonis augeri. Animus eniin noster divina gratia
1 n. ii. 27 [xxxiii.] 30 [xxxviii.] ; Streitwolf , pp. 276, 279.
2 Catechismus Romanus, n. ii. 31 [xlii.] ; Streitwolf, vol. i. pp. 280, 281. 8 Sess. v. 5 ; Ibid . vol. i. p. 19.
* Catechismus Romanus, n. ii. 32 [xliii.]; Ibid, pp.U81, 282.
» Pratlectiones Theological, De Baptismo, cap. vi. 170, 5th edit. Turin, 1839, vol. vi. p. 69.
§ lft.1 THE LORD'S SUPPER. THE SCRIPTURAL ACCOUNT. 613
repletur, qua justi, et filii Dei effecti, aeternae quoque salutis heredes instituimur." 1 It thus appears, that, according to the Church of Rome, all the benefits of the redemption of Christ are conveyed to the soul by baptism; and that there is no other divinely appointed channel of their communication.
The Council of Trent declared, " Si quis dixerit, in tribus sacra- mentis, baptismo scilicet, confirmatione, et ordine, non imprimi characterem in anima, hoc est signum quoddam spirituale, et in- delebile, unde ea iterari non possunt ; anathema sit." 2 What this internal spiritual something is, does not admit of explanation. It neither reveals itself in the consciousness nor manifests itself in the life. It is assumed to be something analogous in the spiritual sphere, to the insignia of merit or decorations of nobility in the sphere of civil or social life.
§ 15. The Lord's Supper.
The passages of Scripture directly referring to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper are the following : Matthew xxvi. 26-28, "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it (ivXoyrjaaq)^ and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup and gave thanks (cvxapio-r^o-as), and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it : for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
Mark xiv. 22-24, " And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat ; this is my body. And he took the cup; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them : and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many."
Luke xxii. 19, 20, " And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you : this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you."
1 Corinthians x. 15-17, " I speak as to wise men ; judge ye what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the commu- nion of the blood of Christ ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ ? For we being many are one bread, and one body ; for we are all partakers of that one bread."
1 Catechismtis Romanus, ix. ii. 38 [1] ; Streitwolf, vol. i. p. 286.
2 Sess. vii. De Sacramentis in genere, canon 9 ; Streitwolf, pp. 39, 40.
612 PART HI. Ch. XX. — THE MEANS OF GRACE.
1 Corinthians xi. 23-29, " For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread : and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat ; this is my body, which is broken for you : this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood : this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore, whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body."