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REFORMED—SACRAMENTS EFFECT NOTHING.
to them, does not make persons children of God, but attests them to be so[1]: the Sacraments do not confer grace[2]: nay,
- ↑ "Baptismus filios Dei non facit, sed qui jam ante filii Dei sunt, filiorum Dei testimonium signum vel tesseram recipiunt." Zuingli, (ad. Luther. Confess, resp. fol. 477. ap. Gat. p. 96.) Ames (adv. Bellar. t. iii. d. 12. de Bapt q. 1. Thes. 5. ibid. p. 93.) "Men are properly baptized, because they " are accounted sons of God, not that they may begin to be sons; otherwise there were no reason why the children of infidels should not be baptized as much as those of believers." Calvin, (Antidot. adv. Censur. Facult. Paris, art. 1.) "They do not become children of God by Baptism; but because, by the benefit of the promise, they are heirs of the adoption, therefore the Church admits them to Baptism." Ap. Gat. p. 132. T. C. Confut. of Rhem. Test. "Nor yet that those, who are indeed holy, need not the use of the Sacrament of Baptism (as a seale of their holinesse, but not as the cause thereof.")
- ↑ Tzegedinus, loci de Sacram. tab. 2. ap. Gat. l. c. "The Sacraments do not confer grace, for the saints are justified and received into grace before they are initiated by the Sacraments." Whitaker, de Sacr. q. 4. c. 1. arg. 5. (ibid.) "He who has faith has grace and righteousness; how then are these bestowed upon him through Sacraments?" Zuingli, Confess. A. 30. art. 7. ap. Gerhard, de Bapt. § 56. "Sacraments are given as a public testimony of that grace, which each has privately beforehand." "Baptism does not confer grace, but attests to the Church that grace has been bestowed upon him to whom it is given." "I believe, yea, I know of a certainty, that all Sacraments, so far from conferring originally grace (conferant), do not even bring any (adferant), nor dispense it." De Pecc. Orig. "The signs (Sacraments) effect nothing, being outward things, whereby nothing is effected in the conscience." Chamier, tom. iv. l. 2. c. 9. § 18. ap. Gat p. 102. "No seal works that which it seals; but the Sacraments are seals of grace; therefore none of them work grace." Calvin, Instit. 4. 14. 14. "As the one party overthrows the use of the Sacraments, so there are others who imagine that the Sacraments have, I know not what, hidden powers, which we read not of being placed in them." § 17. "We must beware lest what the Ancients have written somewhat too exaltedly, to magnify the dignity of the Sacraments, should lead us into an error, akin to this, as if there were any hidden power annexed and affixed to the Sacraments, which by itself would confer the graces of the Holy Spirit,
to the signs that which is the work of the Holy Spirit only, but to commend the use and efficacy of the Sacraments, had so spoken of the signs, as to seem to attribute to them as subordinate instruments (as those people please to call them) what belongs to the Divine power only." Colloq. Mompelg. Dogm. 1, 2, de Bapt. p. 115. ap. Gat. p. 105.
