menu_book Chapter 27

Section 27 of Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 4. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Brian Dole. Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 4, by John Calvin.

Translated by Henry Beveridge. chapter fourteen part two fourteen on the other hand it is to be observed that as these objectors impair the force and altogether overthrow the use of the sacraments so there are others who ascribe to the sacraments a kind of secret virtue which is nowhere said to have been implanted in them by god by this error the more simple and unwary are perilously deceived while they are taught to seek the gifts of god where they cannot possibly be found and are insensibly withdrawn from god so as to embrace instead of his truth mere vanity for the schools of the sophists have taught with general consent that the sacraments of the new law in other words those now in use in the christian church

justify and confer grace provided only that we do not interpose the obstacle of mortal sin it is impossible to describe how fatal and pestilential this sentiment is and the more so that for many ages it has to the great loss of the church prevailed over a considerable part of the world it is plainly of the devil for first in promising righteousness without faith it drives the souls headlong on destruction secondly in deriving a cause of righteousness from the sacraments it entangles miserable minds already of their own accord too much inclined to the earth in a superstitious idea which makes them acquiesce in the spectacle of a corporeal object rather than in god himself i wish we had not such experience of both evils as to make it altogether unnecessary to give a lengthened proof of them for what is a sacrament received without faith but most certain destruction to the church

foreseeing that nothing is to be expected beyond the promise and the promise no less denounces wrath to the unbeliever than offers grace to the believer it is an error to suppose that anything more is conferred by the sacraments than is offered by the word of god and obtained by true faith from this another thing follows namely that assurance of salvation does not depend on participation in the sacraments as if justification consisted in it this which is treasured up in christ alone we know to be communicated not less by the preaching of the gospel than by the seal of the sacrament and may be completely enjoyed without this seal so true is it as augustine declares that there may be invisible sanctification without a visible sign

and on the other hand a visible sign without true sanctification for as he elsewhere says men put on christ sometimes to the extent of partaking in the sacrament and sometimes to the extent of holiness of life the former may be common to the good and the bad the latter is peculiar to the good fifteen hence the distinction if properly understood repeatedly made by augustine between the sacrament and the matter of the sacrament for he does not mean merely that the figure and truth are therein contained but that they do not so cohere as not to be separable and that in this connection it is always necessary to distinguish the thing from the sign so as not to transfer to the one what belongs to the other augustine speaks of the separation when he says that in the elect alone the sacraments accomplish what they represent again when speaking of the jews he says though the sacraments were common to all the grace was not common

yet grace is the virtue of the sacraments thus too the laver of regeneration is now common to all but the grace by which the members of christ are regenerated with their head is not common to all augustine in psalm seventy eight Again, in another place, speaking of the Lord's Supper, he says we also this day receive visible food, but the sacrament is one thing, the virtue of the sacrament another.

Why is it that many partake of the altar and die, and die by partaking? For even the cup of the Lord was poisoned to Judas, not because he received what was evil, but being wicked, he wickedly received what was good.

A little after, he says, the sacrament of this thing, that is of the unity of the body and blood of Christ, is in some places prepared every day, in others at certain intervals at the Lord's table,

which is partaken by some unto life, by others unto destruction. But the thing itself, of which there is a sacrament, is life to all, and destruction to none who partake of it. Unquote.

Sometime before, he had said, quote, He who may have eaten shall not die, but he must be one who attains to the virtue of the sacrament, and not to the visible sacrament, who eats inwardly, not outwardly,

who eats with the heart, and not with the teeth. Unquote. Here you are uniformly told that a sacrament is so separated from the reality by the unworthiness of the partaker, that nothing remains but an empty and useless figure.

Now, in order that you may have not a sign devoid of truth, but the thing with the sign, the word which is included in it, must be apprehended by faith. Thus, insofar as by means of the sacraments you will profit in the communion of Christ, will you derive advantage from them. 16. If this is obscure from brevity, I will explain it at more length.

I say that Christ is the matter, or if you rather choose it, the substance of all the sacraments, since in Him they have their whole solidarity, and out of Him promise nothing. Hence the less toleration is due to the error of Peter Lombard, who distinctly makes them causes of the righteousness and salvation, of which they are parts,

bidding adieu to all other causes of righteousness which the wit of man devises, our duty is to hold by this only. Insofar, therefore, as we are assisted by their instrumentality in cherishing, confirming, and increasing the true knowledge of Christ,

so as both to possess Him more fully and enjoy Him in all His richness. So far are they effectual in regard to us. This is the case when that which is there offered is received by us in true faith. Therefore, you will ask, do the wicked, by their ingratitude, make the ordinance of god fruitless and void i answer that what i have said is not to be understood as if the power and truth of the sacrament depended on the condition or pleasure of him who receives it

that which god instituted continues firm and retains its nature however men may vary but since it is one thing to offer and another to receive there is nothing to prevent a symbol consecrated by the word of the lord from being truly what it is said to be and preserving its power though it may at the same time confer no benefit on the wicked and ungodly this question is well solved by augustine in a few words if you receive carnally it ceases not to be spiritual but it is not spiritual to you but as augustine shows in the above passages that a sacrament is a thing of no value if separated from its truth so also when the two are conjoined he reminds us that it is necessary to distinguish in order that we may not cleave too much to the external sign as it is servile weakness to follow the latter and take the signs for the thing signified

so to interpret the signs as of no use is an extravagant error he mentions two faults which are here to be avoided the one when we receive the signs as if they had been given in vain and by malignantly destroying or impairing their secret meanings prevent them from yielding any fruit the other when by not raising our minds beyond the visible sign we attribute to it blessings which are conferred upon us by christ alone and that by means of the holy spirit who makes us to be partakers of christ external signs assisting if they invite us to christ whereas when rested to any other purpose their whole utility is overthrown seventeen wherefore let it be a fixed point that the office of the sacraments differs not from the word of god and this is to hold forth and offer christ to us and in him the treasures of heavenly grace they confer nothing and avail nothing if not received in faith

just as wine and oil or any other liquor however large the quantity which you pour out will run away and perish unless there be an open vessel to receive it when the vessel is not open though it may be sprinkled all over it will nevertheless remain entirely empty we must be aware of being led into a kindred error by the terms somewhat too extravagant which ancient christian writers have employed in extolling the dignity of the sacraments we must not suppose that there is some latent virtue inherent in the sacraments by which they in themselves confer the gifts of the holy spirit upon us in the same way in which wine is drunk out of a cup since the only office divinely assigned to them is to attest and ratify the benevolence of the lord toward us and they avail no farther than accompanied by the holy spirit to open our minds and hearts and make us capable of receiving this testimony in which various distinguished graces are clearly manifested

for the sacraments as we lately observed chapter thirteen section six and fourteen six and seven are to us what messengers of good news are to men or ernests in ratifying they do not of themselves bestow any grace but they announce and manifest it and like ernests and banches give a ratification of the gifts which the divine liberality has bestowed upon us the holy spirit whom the sacraments do not bring promiscuously to all but whom the lord specially confers on his people brings the gifts of god along with him and makes way for the sacraments and causes them to bear fruit but though we deny not that god by the immediate agency of his spirit countenances his own ordinance preventing the administration of the sacraments which he has instituted from being fruitless and vain still we maintain that the internal grace of the spirit as it is distinct from the external ministration ought to be viewed and considered separately god therefore truly performs whatever he promises and figures by signs

nor are the signs without effect for they prove that he is their true and faithful author the only question here is whether the lord works by proper and intrinsic virtue as it is called or resigns his office to external symbols we maintain that whatever organs he employs detract nothing from his primary operation in this doctrine of the sacraments their dignity is highly extolled their use plainly shown their utility sufficiently proclaimed and moderation in all things duly maintained so that nothing is attributed to them which ought not to be attributed and nothing denied them which they ought to possess meanwhile we get rid of that fiction by which the cause of justification and the power of the holy spirit are included in the elements as vessels and vehicles and the special power which was overlooked is distinctly explained here also we ought to observe that what the minister figures and attests by outward action god performs inwardly

lest that which god claims for himself alone should be ascribed to mortal man this augustine is careful to observe how does both god and moses sanctify not moses for god but moses by visible sacraments through his ministry god by invisible grace through the holy spirit herein is the whole fruit of visible sacraments for what do these visible sacraments avail without that sanctification of invisible grace eighteen the term sacrament in the view we have hitherto taken of it includes generally all the signs which god ever commanded men to use that he might make them sure and confident of the truth of his promises these he was pleased sometimes to place in natural objects sometimes to exhibit in miracles of the former class we have an example in his giving the tree of life to adam and eve

as an earnest of immortality that they might feel confident of the promise as often as they ate of the fruit another example was when he gave the bow in the cloud to noah and his posterity as a memorial that he would not again destroy the earth by a flood these were to adam and noah as sacraments not that the tree could give adam and eve the immortality which it could not give to itself or the bow which is only a reflection of the solar rays on the opposite clouds could have the effect of confining the waters but they had a mark engraven on them by the word of god to be proofs and seals of his covenant the tree was previously a tree and the bow a bow but when they were inscribed with the word of god a new form was given to them they began to be what they previously were not lest anyone suppose that these things were said in vain the bow is even in the present day a witness to us of the covenant which god made with noah

as often as we look upon it we read this promise from god that the earth will never be destroyed by a flood wherefore if any philosophaster to deride the simplicity of our faith shall contend that the variety of colours arises naturally from the rays reflected by the opposite cloud let us admit the fact but at the same time deride his stupidity in not recognising god as the lord and governor of nature who at his pleasure makes all the elements subservient to his glory if he had impressed memorials of this description on the sun the stars the earth and stones they would all have been to us as sacraments for why is the shapeless and the coined silver not of the same value seeing they are the same metal just because the former has nothing but its own nature whereas the latter impressed with the public stamp becomes money and receives a new value

and shall the lord not be able to stamp his creatures with his word that things which were formerly bare elements may become sacraments Examples of the second class were given when he showed light to Abraham in the smoking furnace, Genesis 15, 17, when he covered the fleece with dew while the ground was dry, and on the other hand, when the dew covered the ground while the fleece was untouched, to assure Gideon of victory, Judges 6, 37.

Also when he made the shadow go back ten degrees on the dial to assure Hezekiah of his recovery. 2 Kings 29, Isaiah 38, 7. These things which were done to assist and establish their faith were also sacraments. 19. But my present purpose is to discourse especially of those sacraments which the Lord has been pleased to institute as ordinary sacraments in His Church,

to bring up His worshippers and servants in one faith, and the confession of one faith. For, to use the words of Augustine, In no name of religion, true or false, can men be assembled, unless united by some common use of visible signs or sacraments. Our most merciful Father, foreseeing this necessity from the very first, appointed certain exercises of piety to his servants. these Satan by afterwards transferring to impious and superstitious worship

in many ways corrupted and depraved hence those initiations of the Gentiles into their mysteries and other degenerate rites yet although they were full of error and superstition they were at the same time an indication that men could not be

without such external signs of religion. But as they were neither founded on the word of God, nor bore reference to that truth which ought to be held forth by all signs, they are unworthy of being named

when mention is made of the sacred symbols which were instituted by God and have not been perverted from their end, namely, to be helped to true piety, and they consist not of simple signs like the rainbow and the tree of life,

but of ceremonies, or if you prefer it, the signs here employed are ceremonies. But since, as has been said above, they are testimonies of grace and salvation from the Lord, so in regard to us they are marks of profession, by which we openly swear by the name of God. binding ourselves to be faithful to him.

Hence Chrysostom, somewhere, shrewdly gives them the name of Pactions, by which God enters into covenant with us, and we become bound to holiness and purity of life, because a mutual stipulation is here interposed between God and us.

For it's God there promises to cover and efface any guilt and penalty which we may have occurred by transgression, and reconciles us to himself in his only begotten Son. so we in our turn oblige ourselves by this profession to the study of piety and righteousness and hence it may be justly said that such sacraments are ceremonies by which god is pleased to train his people first to excite cherish and strengthen faith within and secondly to testify our religion to men 20. Now these have been different at different times, according to the dispensation which the Lord has seen meet to employ

in manifesting Himself to men. Circumcision was enjoined on Abraham and his posterity, and to it were afterwards added purifications and sacrifices and other rites of the Mosaic law. These were the sacraments of the Jews,

even until the advent of Christ. After these were abrogated, the two sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper, which the Christian Church now employs, were instituted.

I speak of those which were instituted for the use of the whole Church, for the laying on of hands by which the ministers of the Church are initiated into their office,

though I have no objection to its being called a sacrament, I do not number among the ordinary sacraments. The place to be assigned to the other commonly reputed sacraments we shall see by and by. Still, the ancient sacraments had the same end in view as our own,

namely, to direct and almost lead us by the hand to Christ, or rather, were like images to represent him and hold him forth to our knowledge. But as we have already shown that sacraments are a kind of seals of the promises of God, so let us hold it as a most certain truth that no divine promise has ever been offered to man except in Christ,

and that hence when they remind us of any divine promise, they must of necessity exhibit Christ. Hence that heavenly pattern of the tabernacle, and legal worship which was shown to Moses in the mount. There is only this difference, that while the former shadowed forth a promised Christ while he was still expected, the latter bear testimony to him as already come and manifested. 21. When these things are explained singly and separately, they will be much clearer.

Circumcision was a sign by which the Jews were reminded that whatever comes of the seed of man, in other words the whole nature of man, is corrupt and requires to be cut off. Moreover, it was proof and memorial to confirm them in the promise made to Abraham of a seed whom all the nations of the earth should be blessed, and from whom they themselves were to look for a blessing.

That saving seed, as we are taught by Paul, Galatians 5.16, was Christ, in whom alone they trusted to recover what they had lost in Adam. Wherefore, circumcision was to them what Paul says it was to Abraham, namely a sign of the righteousness of faith Romans 9.11

namely a seal by which they were more certainly assured that their faith in waiting for the Lord would be accepted by God for righteousness but we shall have a better opportunity elsewhere

chapter 16 sections 3 and 4 of following out the comparison between circumcision and baptism them. Their washings and purifications placed under their eye the uncleanness, defilement and pollution with which they were naturally contaminated, and promised another labour

in which all their impurities might be wiped and washed away. This labour was Christ, washed by whose blood we bring His purity into the sight of God, that He may cover all our defilements. The sacrifices convicted them of their unrighteousness, and at the same time taught that there was a necessity

for paying some satisfaction to the justice of God, and that therefore there must be some high priest, some mediator between God and man, to satisfy God by the shedding of blood and the immolation of a victim,

which might suffice for the remission of sins. The High Priest was Christ. He shed his own blood. He was himself the victim, for in obedience to the Father

he offered himself to death, and by this obedience abolished the disobedience by which man had provoked the indignation of God. Philippians 2.8, Romans 5.19. 22.

In regard to our sacraments, they present Christ the more clearly to us, the more familiarly He has been manifested to man, ever since He was exhibited by the Father truly as He had been promised. For baptism testifies that we are washed and purified, the supper of the Eucharist that we are redeemed.

Ablution is figured by water, satisfaction by blood. Both are found in Christ, who, as John says, quote,

came by water and blood, unquote, that is to purify and redeem. Of this the Spirit of God also is a witness. Nay, there are three witnesses in one, water, spirit and blood.

In the water and the blood we have an evidence of purification and redemption. But the Spirit is the primary witness who gives us full assurance of this testimony. This sublime mystery was illustriously displayed

on the cross of Christ when water and blood flowed from His sacred side, John 19.34, which for this reason

Augustine justly termed the fountain of our sacraments. Of these we shall shortly treat at greater length. There is no doubt

that if you compare time with time, the grace of the Spirit is now more abundantly displayed, for this forms part of the glory of the kingdom of Christ

as we gather from several passages and especially from the seventh chapter of John. In this sense, we are to understand the words of Paul that the law was, quote, a shadow of good things to come,

but the body is of Christ, unquote. Colossians 2.17 His purpose is not to declare the inefficacy of those manifestations of grace in which God was pleased to prove his truth to the patriarchs,

just as he proves it to us in the present day in baptism and the Lord's Supper, but to contrast the two and show the great value of what is given to us, that no one may think it strange

that by the advent of Christ the ceremonies of the law have been abolished. 23. the scholastic dogma to glance at it in passing by which the difference between the sacraments of the old and the new dispensation is made so great that the former did nothing but shadow forth the grace of god while the latter actually confer it must be altogether exploded since the apostle speaks in no higher terms of the one than of the other

when he says that the fathers ate of the same spiritual food, and he explains that that food was Christ, 1 Corinthians 10 verse 3, who will presume to regard as an empty sign that which gave a manifestation to the Jews of true communion with Christ.

And the state of the case, which the apostle is there treating, militates strongly for our view. For to guard against confiding in a frigid knowledge of Christ, an empty title of Christianity, and external observances, and thereby daring to contemn the judgment of God, he exhibits signal examples of divine severity in the Jews, to make us aware that if we indulge in the same vices, the same punishments which they suffered are impending over us. Now, to make the comparison appropriate, it was necessary to show that there is no inequality between us and them in those blessings in which He forbade us to glory.

Therefore He first makes them equal to us in the sacraments, and leaves us not one iota of privilege which could give us hopes of impunity. can we justly attribute more to our baptism than he elsewhere attributes to circumcision when he terms it a seal of the righteousness of faith. Romans 4.11.

Whatever therefore is now exhibited to us in the sacraments, the Jews formerly received in theirs, namely Christ with his spiritual riches. the same efficacy which ours possess they experienced in theirs, namely that they were seals of the divine favour toward them in regard to the hope of eternal salvation.

Had the objectors been sound expositors of the epistle to the Hebrews, they would not have been so deluded, but reading therein that sins were not expiated by legal ceremonies, nay, that the ancient shadows were of no importance to justification, they overlooked the contrast which is there drawn,

and fastening on the single point that the law in itself was of no avail to the worshipper, thought that they were mere figures, devoid of truth. The purpose of the Apostle is to show that there is nothing in the ceremonial law until we arrive at Christ, on whom alone the whole efficacy depends.

24. But they will found on what Paul says of the circumcision of the letter, and object that it is in no esteem with God, that it confers nothing is empty, that passages such as these

seem to set it far beneath our baptism, but by no means. for the very same thing might justly be said of baptism. Indeed, it is said, first by Paul himself, when he shows that God regards not the external ablution

by which we are initiated into religion, unless the mind is purified inwardly, and maintains its purity to the end. And secondly, by Peter, when he declares that the reality of baptism

consists not in external ablution, but in the testimony of a good conscience. But it seems that in another passage he speaks with the greatest contempt of circumcision made with hands

when he contrasts it with the circumcision made by Christ. I answer that not even in that passage is there anything derogatory to its dignity. Paul is there disputing against those who insisted upon it as necessary,

after it had been abrogated. He therefore admonishes believers to lay aside ancient shadows and cleave to the truth. These teachers, he says,

insist that your bodies shall be circumcised, but you have been spiritually circumcised both in soul and body. You have, therefore,

a manifestation of the reality, and it is far better than the shadow. still any one might have answered that the figure was not to be despised because they had the reality since among the fathers was also exemplified that putting off of the old man of which he was speaking and yet to them external circumcision was not superfluous this objection he anticipates when he immediately adds that the colossians were buried together with christ by baptism thereby intimating that baptism is now to christians what circumcision was to those of ancient times and that the latter therefore could not be imposed on christians without injury to the former

25. But there is more difficulty in explaining the passage which follows, and which I lately quote, namely, that all the Jewish ceremonies were shadows of things to come, but the body is of Christ, Colossians 2.17. The most difficult point of all, however, is that which is discussed in several chapters of the epistle to the Hebrews, namely that the blood of beasts did not reach to the conscience, that the law was a shadow of good things to come,

but not the very image of the things. Hebrews 10.1 That worshippers under the mosaic ceremonies obtained no degree of perfection, and so forth. i repeat what i have already hinted that paul does not represent the ceremonies as shadowy because they had nothing solid in them but because their completion was in a manner suspended until the manifestation of christ

again i hold the words are to be understood not of their efficiency but rather of their significancy for until christ was manifested in the flesh all signs shattered him as absent however he might inwardly exert the presence of his power and consequently of his person on believers but the most important observation is that in all these passages paul does not speak simply but by way of reply he was contending with false apostles who maintained that piety consisted in mere ceremonies without any respect to christ for their refutation it was sufficient merely to consider what effect ceremonies have in themselves this too was the scope of the author of the epistle to the hebrews let us remember therefore that he is here treating of ceremonies not taken in their true and native signification but when wrested to a false and vicious interpretation not of the legitimate use but of the superstitious abuse of them

what wonder then if ceremonies when separated from christ are devoid of all virtue all signs become null when the thing signified is taken away thus christ when addressing those who thought that manna was nothing more than food for the body accommodates his language to their gross opinion and says that he furnished a better food one which fed souls for immortality but if you require a clearer solution the substance comes to this first the whole apparatus of ceremonies under the mosaic law unless directed to christ is evanescent and null secondly these ceremonies had such respect to christ that they had their fulfilment only when christ was manifested in the flesh lastly at his advent they behoved to disappear just as the shadow vanishes in the clear light of the sun

but i now touch more briefly on the point because i defer future consideration of it till i come to the place where i intend to compare baptism with circumcision twenty six those wretched sophists are perhaps deceived by the extravagant eulogiums on our signs which occur in ancient writers for instance the following passage of augustine the sacraments of the old law only promised a saviour whereas ours give salvation not perceiving that these and similar figures of speech are hyperbolical they too have promulgated their hyperbolical dogmas but in a sense altogether alien from that of ancient writers For Augustine means nothing more than in another place where he says, quote,

The sacraments of the Mosaic law foretold Christ. Ours announce him, unquote. And again, quote, Those were promises of things to be fulfilled. These indications of the fulfillment, unquote. As if he had said, those figured him when he was still expected. ours now that he has arrived exhibit him as present moreover with regard to the mode of signifying he says as he also elsewhere indicates

the law and the prophets had sacraments for telling a thing future the sacraments of our time attest that what they foretold as to come has come his sentiments concerning the reality and efficacy he explains in several passages as when he says the sacraments of the jews were different in the signs alike in the things different in the visible appearance alike in spiritual power again in different signs there was the same faith it was thus in different signs as different words because the words change the sound according to times and yet words are nothing else than signs the fathers drank of the same spiritual drink but not of the same corporeal drink see then how while faith remains signs vary there the rock was christ to us that is christ which is placed on the altar they as a great sacrament drank of the water flowing from the rock

believers know what we drink if you look at the visible appearance there was a difference if at the intelligible signification they drank at the same spiritual drink again in this mystery their food and drink are the same as ours the same in meaning not in form for the same christ was figured to them in the rock to us he has been manifested in the flesh in psalm 77 though we grant that in this respect also there is some difference both testify that the paternal kindness of god and the graces of the spirit are offered to us in christ but ours more clearly and splendidly in both there is an exhibition of christ but in ours it is more full and complete in accordance with that distinction between the old and new testaments of which we have discoursed above and this is the meaning of augustine whom we quote more frequently as being the best and most faithful witness of all antiquity where he says that after christ was revealed sacraments were instituted

fewer in number but of more august significancy and more excellent power it is here proper to remind the reader that all the trifling talk of the sophists concerning the opus operatum is not only false but repugnant to the very nature of the sacraments which god appointed in order that believers who are void and in want of all good might bring nothing of their own but simply beg hence it follows that in receiving them they do nothing which deserves praise and that in this action which in respect of them is merely passive no work can be ascribed to them end of section twenty seven