I wonder what could have possessed them to make a sacrament of
confirmation out of the laying on of hands, which Christ employed when
He blessed young children [Mark 10:16], and the apostles when they
imparted the Holy Spirit [Acts 8:17; Acts 19:6; Acts 6:6; Mark 16:18],
ordained elders and cured the sick, as the Apostle writes to Timothy,
"Lay hands suddenly on no man." [1 Tim. 5:22] Why have they not also
turned the sacrament of the bread into confirmation? For it is written
in Acts ix, "And when he had taken meat he was strengthened,"[129] and
in Psalm civ, "And that bread may cheer[130] man's heart." [Ps.
104:15] Confirmation would thus include three sacraments--the bread,
ordination, and confirmation itself. But if everything the apostles
did is a sacrament, why have they not rather made preaching a
sacrament?
I do not say this because I condemn the seven sacraments, but because
I deny that they can be proved from the Scriptures. Would to God we
had in the Church such a laying on of hands as there was in apostolic
times, whether we called it confirmation or healing! But there is
nothing left of it now but what we ourselves have invented to adorn
the office of the bishops, that they may have at least something to do
in the Church. For after they relinquished to their inferiors those
arduous sacraments together with the Word, as being too common for
themselves,--since, forsooth, whatever the divine Majesty has
instituted must needs be despised of men!--it was no more than right
that we should discover something easy and not too burdensome for such
delicate and great heroes to do, and should by no means entrust it to
the lower clergy as something common--for whatever human wisdom has
decreed must needs be held in honor among men! Therefore, as are the
priests, so let their ministry and duty be. For a bishop who does not
preach the Gospel or care for souls [1 Cor. 8:4], what is he but an
idol in the world, having but the name and appearance of a bishop?
But we seek, instead of this, sacraments that have been divinely
instituted, among which we see no reason for numbering confirmation.
For, in order that there be a sacrament, there is required above all
things a word of divine promise, whereby faith may be trained. But we
read nowhere that Christ ever gave a promise concerning confirmation,
although He laid hands on many and included the laying on of hands
among the signs in Mark xvi: "They shall lay their hands on the sick,
and they shall recover." [Mark 16:18] Yet no one referred this to a
sacrament, nor can this be done. Hence it is sufficient to regard
confirmation as a certain churchly rite or sacramental ceremony,
similar to other ceremonies, such as the blessing of holy water and
the like. For if every other creature is sanctified by the word and by
prayer [1 Tim. 4:4 f.], why should not much rather man be sanctified
by the same means? Still, these things cannot be called sacraments of
faith, because there is no divine promise connected with them, neither
do they save; but sacraments do save those who believe the divine
promise.