[Sidenote: Christians may not participate with the Papists in their
Sacraments.]
[Sidenote: Women may not Baptise.]
[Sidenote: The Papists commit sacriledge.]
[Sidenote: Such as think not rightly of the Lords Supper receive it
not worthely.]
That Sacramentis be rychtlie ministred, we judge twa thingis requisit:
the one, That thei be ministred be lauchfull ministeris, whome we
affirme to be onlie thei that ar appointed to the preaching of the
worde, or into whose mouthis God hes putt some sermoun of
exhortatioun, thei being men lauchfullie chosin thairto by some Kirk.
The other, That thei be ministred in sic elementis, and in sic sorte
as God hath appointed. Ellis we affirme, that thei cease to be rycht
Sacramentis of Christ Jesus. And, thairfoir, it is, that we flye the
societie with the Papisticall Kirk, in participatioun of thair
Sacramentis; first, becaus thair ministeris ar no ministeris of Christ
Jesus; yea, (whiche is more horrible) thei suffer wemen, whome the
Holy Ghost will not suffer to teache in the congregatioun, to Baptise.
And, secoundlie, Becaus thei have so adulterat, both the one sacrament
and the other, with thair awin inventionis, that na pairte of Christis
actioun abydeth in the originall puritie; for oyle, salt,
spattle,[251] and siclyk in baptisme, are but menis inventionis;
adoratioun, veneratioun, bearing throcht streittis and townes, and
keaping of bread in boxes or buistis, are prophanatioun of Christis
Sacramentis, and no use of the same: For Christ Jesus said, "Tak, eat,
&c.; Do ye this in remembrance of me." By which wordis and charge he
sanctifeid bread and wyne to be the sacrament of his body[252] and
blude; to the end, that the one should be eatten, and that all should
drink of the other; and not that thei should be keapt to be wirschiped
and honoured as God, as the blynd Papistis have done heirtofoir, who
also have committed sacriledge, stealling frome the people the one
parte of the Sacrament, to witt, the blissed cupp. Moreover, that the
Sacramentis be rychtlie used, it is requyred, that the end and caus
why the Sacramentis war institut, be understand and observed, alsweall
of the minister as of the receaveris; for yf the opinioun be changed
in the receavare, the rycht use ceasseth; whiche is most evident by
the rejectioun of the sacrifices, (as also yf the teachar teache[253]
fals doctrin,) whiche war odiouse and abominable unto God (albeit
thei war his awin ordinances,) becaus that wicked men use thame to ane
other end than God hath ordeaned. The same affirme we of the
sacramentis in the Papisticall Kirk, in whiche we affirme the haill
actioun of the Lord Jesus to be adulterat, alsweill in the externall
forme, as in the end and opinioun. What Christ Jesus did, and
commanded to be done, is evident by the three Evangelistis [quho speak
of the Sacrament,][254] and by Sanct Paule: What the preast does at
his altare we neid not to rehearse. The end and caus of Christis
institutioun, and why the self same should be used, is expressed in
these wordis,--"Do this in remembrance of me. As oft as ye shall eatt
off this bread and drynk of this cupp, ye shall schaw furth, (that is,
extoll, preache, and magnifie,[255]) the Lordis death till he come."
But to what end, and in what opinioun the preastis say thair masses,
lett the wordis of the same, thair awin doctouris and writtingis
witness, to witt, that thei, as mediatouris betwix Christ and his
Kirk, do offerr unto God the Father ane sacrifice propitiatorie for
the synnes of the quick and the dead. Which doctrine, as blasphemous
to Christ Jesus, and macking derogatioun to the sufficiencie of his
onlie sacrifice, ones offered for purgatioun of all those that shalbe
sanctified, we utterlie abhorr, detest, and renunce.
[251] In some copies, "spittle."
[252] In some copies, "his holy body."
[253] In the old printed copies, "gif the teacher plainly teach, &c.
befoir God."
[254] Supplied from MS. G; but the old printed copies also read, "by
the Evangelistis, and by Sanct Paule;" omitting the word "three."
[255] In the old printed copies, "preach, magnifie, and prayse."