[378] In edit. 1722, Chap. II.
[Sidenote: THE NOMBER OF SACRAMENTIS.]
TO Christ Jesus his holie Evangell trewlie preached, of necessitie it
is, that his holie Sacramentis be annexit, and trewlie ministred, as
seallis and visible confirmationis of the spirituall promisses
contened in the wourd: And thai be two, to wit, Baptisme, and the
Holie Supper of the Lord Jesus: quhilk ar then rychtlie ministred,
quhen by a lauchfull Minister the pepill, befoir the administratioun
of the same, ar planelie instructed, and put in mynd of Goddis free
grace and mercy, offered unto the penitent in Christ Jesus; quhen
Goddis promisses ar rehersit, the end and use of the Sacramentis
declared,[379] and that in suche a toung as the pepill dois
understand; quhen farther to thame is nothing added, from thame no
thing diminissit, and in thair practise nathing changit besydis the
institutioun of the Lord Jesus, and practise of his holie Apostles.
[379] In Vautr. edit., and edit. 1621, "preached and declared."
And albeit the Ordour of Geneva,[380] quhilk now is used in some of
oure kirks, is sufficient to instruct the diligent reader, how that
boyth these Sacramentis may be rychtlie ministred; yit for ane
uniformitie to be keipit, we have thocht gude to adde this as
superaboundand.
[380] See note infra, page 210.
In Baptisme, we acknawlege nothing to be used except the element of
wattir onlie, (that the wourd and declaratioun of the promisses aucht
to preceid we haif said befoir.) Quhairfoir, quhosoevir presumeth in
baptisme to use oyle, salt, wax, spattill,[381] conjuratioun, or
croceing, accuseth the perfyte institutioun of Christ Jesus of
imperfectioun; for it wes void of all suche inventionis devysed by
men: And suche as wald presume to alter Christis perfite ordinance yow
aucht seveirlie to punische.
[381] In Vautr. edit, and edit. 1621, "spittle."
The Tabill of the Lord is then most rychtlie ministred, quhen it
approacheth most ney to Christis awin actioun: But plane it is, that
at that Supper, Christ Jesus sat with his discipillis, and thairfoir
do we juge, that sitting at a table is most convenient to that holie
actioun: that breid and wyne aucht to be thair; that thankis aucht to
be gevin; distributioun of the same maid; and commandiment gevin that
the breid suld be tackin and eittin; and that all suld likewise drink
of the cowp of wyne, with declaratioun quhat boyth the one and the
other is, we suppoise no godlie man will doubt. For as tuiching the
dampnabill erroure of the Papistis, quho can[382] defraude the commoun
pepill of the one parte of that holie Sacrament, to wit, of the coupe
of the Lordis blude, we suppois thair errour to be so manifest, that
it needeth no confutatioun; nather yit intend we to confute any thing
in this oure simple confessioun; but to offer publict disputatioun to
all that list oppung any thing affirmed by us.
[382] In Vautr. edit., and edit. 1621, "who dare."
That the Minister break the breid, and distribute the same to those
that be nyxt unto him, commanding the rest, every one with reverence
and sobrietie, to breake with other, we think it nyest to Christis
actioun, and to the perfite practise [of the Apostles,] as we reid it
in Sanct Paull. During the quhilk actioun, we think it necessarie,
that some comfortable places of [the] Scripturis be red, quhilk may
bring in mynd the deith of Christ Jesus, and the benefite of the same;
for seing that in that actioun we aucht chieflie to remember the
Lordis deith, we juge the Scripturis macking mentioun of the same most
apt to stear up our dull myndis then, and at all tymes. Lett the
discretioun of the ministeris appoint the places to be red as thai
think gude. Quhat tymes we think most convenient for the
administratioun of the one and of the other of these Sacramentis,
salbe declared in the Policie of the Kirk.