And after all, the refusing to communicate infants entered into the church upon an unwarrantable ground; for though it was confessed that the communion would do them benefit, yet it was denied to them then when the doctrine of transubstantiation entered, upon pretence lest by puking up the holy symbols the sacrament should be dishonoured: which indeed though that doctrine were true, were infinitely unreasonable; as supposing that Christ who suffered His body to be broken upon the cross that He might convey grace to them and us, would refuse to expose the symbols to the accidents of a child's stomach, and rather deny them that grace than endure that sight; who yet does daily suffer mice and mouldiness to do worse unto it. But on the other side, they that without interest and partiality deny to communicate infants, can consider,-That infants being in baptism admitted to the promises of the gospel, and their portion in the kingdom of Christ, can have upon them no necessity to be communicated; for by their first sacrament they are drawn from their mere natural state and lifted up to the adoption of sons, and by the second sacrament alone they can go no further;-that although the first grace which is given in baptism be given them as their first being, yet the second graces are given to us upon other accounts, even for well using the first free grace;-that in baptism there were promises made which are to be personally accepted and verified before any new grace can be sacramentally imparted; that it was necessity which gave them baptism before their reason, and that necessity being served, there can be no profit in proceeding upon the same method without the same reason;-that baptism is the sacrament of the new-born, the beginning, the gate of the church, the entry of the kingdom, the birth of a Christian; but the holy eucharist is the sacrament of them that grow in grace, of them that are perfect in Christ Jesus;-and lastly, to him that lists to be contentious we are to say as S. Paul' did, "we have no such custom, nor the churches of God." Now these probabilities on both sides may both of them be heard, and both of them prevail in the sense of the former determination : for by the first it may appear that to communicate infants is lawful; but the second proves that it is not necessary: for having in baptism received sufficient title to the kingdom of heaven, they who before the use of reason cannot sin and cannot fall from the grace they have received, cannot be obliged to the use of that sacrament which is for their reparation and security: and therefore in this case the present practice of the church is to be our rule and measure of peace, and determination of the article. x Victoria, Relect. de eucharist. ubi supra. [p. 91, supra.] SECTION III. WHETHER INNOCENTS, FOOLS, AND MADMEN MAY BE ADMITTED TO To this I answer, that if fools can desire it, and can be kept innocent, the church never did deny it to them: but unless they be capable of love and obedience in some degree they must in no case be admitted. A vicious fool is intolerable; and he that knows nothing of it, nor can be taught any thing, must be permitted to the mercies of God and the prayers of the church: but he that is not capable of laws, can be no part of a society; and therefore hath nothing to do with communion. If he can but learn so much that it is good for his soul, if he can desire to go to God, and if he can in any degree believe in Christ, he will be judged according to what he hath, and not according to what he hath not: but if he cannot discern between good and evil, but indifferently likes and does one and the other, though mercy is to be hoped for him in the last account, yet because he does that which is materially evil, and cannot discern what is spiritually good, he must not be admitted so much as to the symbols of the divine mysteries. But concerning madmen the case is otherwise, and therefore I am to answer with a distinction. If from a state of sin and debauchery they entered into their madness, their case is sad and infinitely to be deplored; but their debt books are sealed up, they are like dead men; until they be restored to reason they cannot be restored to grace, and therefore not admitted to the sacrament. But if they were men of a good life, they may in their intervals, that is, when they can desire it, and when they will not use the sacrament irreverently,-be communicated. For the seed of God abides within them, and no accident of nature can destroy the work of God and the impresses of the Spirit; nothing but their own wills can do that. For in these cases it is a good rule, and of great use in the practice of the sacrament, whoever can communicate spiritually, may be admitted to communicate sacramentally,' that is, they who are in a state of grace, and can desire it, must not be rejected: and therefore good men falling into this calamity, when they have any ease from their sadness, and that they can return to words of order and composed thoughts, though but for a while, though but in order to that ministry, are not to be rejected. But on the other side, whoever can hinder the effect of the sacrament, they are not to be admitted to it, unless they do not only not hinder it, but actually dispose themselves to it. For if they can do evil, they can and ought to do good: and therefore vicious madmen having been and still remaining in a state of evil, cannot be admitted till they do good; and therefore never while their madness remains. The godly man that is so afflicted may; but yet not till the fire that was hidden makes some actual and bright emissions. But then lastly for others who are of a 'probable' life, concerning whom no man can tell whether they be in the state of grace or no; because no man can tell whether he that comes with that sadness be capable or no, no man can tell whether he does well or ill; and therefore he must determine himself by accidents and circumstances and prudential considerations, having one eye upon the designs and compliances of charity, and the other upon the reverence of the sacrament. And the case is in all things alike with dying persons past the use of speech and reason. SECTION IV. OF ACTUAL FAITH AS IT IS A NECESSARY DISPOSITION TO THE SACRAMENT. BESIDES the faith that is previous to baptism, or is wrapped up in the offices of that sacrament, the church of God admitted only such persons to the sacrament whom she called fideles or faithful,' by a propriety or singularity and eminency of appellation. They accounted it not enough barely to believe or to be professors; for the penitents, and the lapsed, and the catechumens were so; but they meant, such persons whose faith was operative and alive and justifying; such men whose faith had overcome the world, and overcome their lusts, and conquered their spiritual enemy; such who by faith were real servants of Christ, disciples of His doctrine, subjects of His kingdom, and obedient to His institution. Such a faith as this is indeed necessary to every worthy communicant; because without such a faith a Christian is no more but a name; but the man is dead; and dead men eat not. Of this therefore we are to take strict and severe accounts: which we shall best do by the following measures. 1. Every true christian believer must consent to the articles of his belief by an assent firmer than can be naturally produced from the ordinary arguments of his persuasion. Men believe the resurrection; but it is because they are taught it in their childhood, and they enquire no further in their age: their parents and their priests, the laws of the church and the religion of the country, make up the demonstration; but because their faith is no stronger than to be the daughter of such arguments, we find they commonly live at such a rate, as if they did neither believe nor care whether it were so or no. The confidence of the article makes them not to leave off violently to pursue the interests of this world, and to love and labour for the other. Before this faith can enable them to resist a temptation, they must derive their assent from principles of another nature; and therefore because few men can dispute it with arguments invincible and demonstrative and such as are naturally apt to produce the most perfect assent, it is necessary that these men of all other should believe it because it is said to come from God, and rely upon it because it brings to God, trust it because it is good, acknowledge it certain because it is excellent; that there may be an act of the will in it, as well as of the understanding, and as much love in it as dis course. For he that only consents to an article because it is evident, is indeed convinced, but hath no excellency in his faith but what is natural, nothing that is gracious and moral: true christian faith must have in it something of obscurity, something that must be made up by duty and by obedience: but it is nothing but this; we must trust the evidence of God in the obscurity of the thing. God's testimony must be clear to him, and the thing in all other senses not clear; and then to trust the article because God hath said it, must have in it an excellency which God loves and that He will reward. In order to this, it is highly considerable that the greatest argument to prove our religion, is the goodness and the holiness of it; it is that which makes peace and friendships, content and comfort, which unites all relations and endears the relatives; it relieves the needy and defends the widow, it ends strife and makes love endless: all other arguments can be opposed and tempted by wit and malice, but against the goodness of the religion no man can speak; by which it appears that the greatest argument is that which moves love, intending by love to convince the understanding. But then for others who can enquire better; their enquiries also must be modest and humble, according to the nature of the things, and to the designs of God; they must not disbelieve an article in christianity which is not proved like a conclusion in geometry; they must not be witty to object, and curious to enquire beyond their limit for some are so ingeniously miserable, that they will never believe a proposition in divinity if any thing can be said against it; they will be credulous enough in all the affairs of their life, but impenetrable by a sermon of the gospel; they will believe the word of a man and the promise of their neighbour; but a promise of Scripture signifies nothing unless it can be proved like a proposition in the metaphysics. If Sempronius tell them a story, it is sufficient if he be a just man, and the narrative be probable: but though religion be taught by many excellent men who gave their lives for a testimony, this shall not pass for truth till there is no objection left to stand against it. The reason of these things is plain: they do not love the thing; their interest is against it; they have no joy in religion; they are not willing and desirous that the things shall appear true. When love is the principle, the thing is easy to the understanding, the objections are nothing, the arguments are good, and the preachers are in the right. Faith assents to the revelations of the gospel, not only because they are well proved, but because they are excellent things; not only because my reason is convinced, but my reason yields upon the fairer terms because my affections are gained. For if faith were an assent to an article but just so far as it is demonstrated, then faith were no virtue, and infidelity were no sin; because in this there is no choice, and no refusal: but where that which is probable is also naturally indemonstrable, and yet the conclusion is that in which we must rejoice, and that for which we must earnestly contend, and that in the belief of which we serve God, and that for which we must be ready to die; it is certain that the understanding observing the credibility, and the will being pleased with the excellency, they produce a zeal of belief, because they together make up the demonstration. For a reason can be opposed by a reason, and an argument by an argument; but if I love my religion, nothing can take me from it, unless it can pretend to be more useful and more amiable, more perfective and more excellent than heaven and immortality, and a kingdom and a crown of peace, and all the things and all the glories of the eternal God. 2. That faith which disposes to the holy communion must have in it a fulness of confidence and relying upon God, a trusting in and a real expectation of the event of all the promises of the gospel. God hath promised sufficient for the things of this life to them that serve Him. They who have great revenues and full bags can easily trust this promise; but if thou hast neither money nor friends, if the labour of thy hands and the success of thy labour fails thee, how is it then? can you then rely upon the promise? what means your melancholy and your fear, your frequent sighs and the calling of yourself miserable and undone? can God only help with means? or cannot He also make the means, or help without them, or see them when you see them not? or is it that you fear whether He will or no? He that hath promised, if he be just, is always willing, whether he be able or no; and therefore, if you do not doubt of His power, why should you at all doubt of His willingness? For if He were not able, He were not almighty; if He were not willing to perform His promise, then He were not just: and he that suspects that, hath neither faith nor love for God: of all things in the world, faith never distrusts the good-will of God, in which He most glories to communicate Himself to mankind. If yet your fear objects, and says that all is well on God's part, but you have provoked Him by your sins, and have lost all title to the promise: I can say nothing against that, but that you must speedily repent and amend your fault, and then all will be quickly well on your part also; and your faith will have no objection, and your fears will have no excuse. When the glutton Apicius had spent a vast revenue in his prodigious feastings, he killed himself for fear of starving: but if Cæsar had promised to give him all Sicily, or the revenues of Egypt, the beast would have lived and eaten. But the promises of God give to many of us no 2 [Sen. de consol. ad Helv., cap. x. tom. i. p. 188.-Dio Cass., lib. lvii. p. 616.] |