Answer. The sacraments are holy visible signs and seals, appointed of God for this end, that by the use thereof he may the more fully declare and seal to us the promise of the gospel, viz: that he grants us freely the remission of sin, and life eternal, for the sake of that one sacrifice of Christ, accomplished on the cross.
Exposition
In explaining the doctrine of the Sacraments, we shall speak first of the sacraments in general, and afterwards of Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, in particular. The following questions claim our attention in speaking of the sacraments in general:
I. What are the sacraments?
II. What are the ends thereof?
III. In what do the sacraments differ from sacrifices?
IV. What have the sacraments in common with the word, and in what do they differ from it?
V. In What do the sacraments of the Old and New Testament differ?
VI. What are the signs, and what the things signified in the sacraments, and in what do they differ?
VII. What is the sacramental union?
VIII. What are sacramental forms of speech?
IX. What is the proper use of the sacraments?
X. What do the ungodly receive in the use of the sacraments?
XI. How many sacraments belong to the New Testament?
I. What Are the Sacraments?
In answering this question we must consider what is meant by the term sacrament, and what by the thing signified. The word sacramentum signified among the ancient Romans a certain sum of money deposited, by those who were at law with each other, in some sacred place, or in the hands of the high priest, upon this condition that he who gained the suit, should have his part refunded, whilst the part of the one who was defeated, went to the public treasury. This signification of the word is irrelevant. The word also signified among the Romans the solemn oath taken in war, which was also termed a military oath, so called from the fact, that those who took it were consecrated, and pledged to their commander to serve him and none else. From this some conclude that the ceremonies to which reference is here had are called sacraments, because as soldiers bound themselves to their commander by the military oath, (sacramentum) so we, by the use of the sacraments, or by a solemn oath, bind ourselves to Christ, our Captain, in the presence of God, angels and men. This is, indeed, beautiful and significant; but it is more probable that the word sacrament came into, use from the old Latin translation in which wherever the word mystery occurs in the Greek text, it is rendered in the Latin sacramentum. The word mystery comes from the Greek μυεῶ, which means to instruct, or to imitate one in holy things; whence also the German Weihen. Μυεῶ is again derived from μυῶ, which means to shut, or close the mouth or lips; because as Eustathius says, “it behooved those who were initiated into the rites to shut their mouth, and not utter those things which were secret.” By a mystery we usually understand something unknown, or the sign of something unknown, or that which has a secret signification which only those who arc initiated understand. By a sign we mean something visible and material, or a divinely instituted ceremony which denotes something invisible and spiritual, which the Greeks called a mystery, and the Latin Theologians a sacrament, by which was meant a sign having a secret signification which none understand except such as are instructed, and initiated in the chief points of the christian religion. Such signs as these God designs should always exist in the church, that thus he may show his good will to men, and they, on the other hand, declare their faith and obedience to him.
The term sacrament is, however, variously used by theological writers. Sometimes it is taken properly for some eternal rite and ceremony; then it is taken for the symbols themselves; then for the thing signified by these symbols; and lastly for both the symbols, and the thing specified. So much in regard to the word sacrament. We must now proceed to the definition of the thing.
Sacraments are rites, or ceremonies instituted by God to the end, that they may be signs of the covenant, or of God’s good will towards us, and of the obligation of the church to repentance and faith; and that they may be marks by which the true church may be known and distinguished from all other religions. In the language of the Catechism, “sacraments are holy visible signs, and seals appointed of God for this end, that by the use thereof he may the more fully declare and seal to us the promise of the gospel,” &c. This definition consists of three parts: the first of which has respect to the kind of sacraments, whilst the other two refer to their differences. Of the first part it is said, that they are holy visible signs and seals, which means that they are divine, and signify holy things, such as pertain to the worship of God, and the salvation of men. A sign, according to the definition of Augustin, is that which signifies something different from that which is presented to the senses, thus causing something else to arise in the thoughts, or mind; or, it may be defined as that by which the understanding perceives something different from that which strikes the senses. It is in this sense that words are signs of things. A sign and seal differ from each other, as genus and species. Every seal is a sign, but not every sign is a seal. A seal certifies and confirms, whilst a sign only shows, or declares something. There are two kinds of signs. Some merely signify, whilst others also confirms as is true of those, from which we do not only understand what they signify, but also argue and reason concerning the thing which they declare, so that we are not left in doubt, whether it be true or false; or in other words, we are confirmed in regard to the certain exhibition and perception of the thing signified. Both of these are included in the above definition, inasmuch as the sacraments do not only signify, but also seal what is promised in the gospel. They are not only figurative signs, or remembrancers and shadows, as the ancients called them, but they are also assurances, and evidences: they are signs which exhibit, and seal in their true use, inasmuch as they exhibit the things promised in the gospel to those that believe, and also seal the exhibiting or setting forth of these things. God says of circumcision, “It shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.” (Gen. 17:11.) And Paul says, “He received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had.” (Rom. 4:11.) sacraments, therefore, accomplish the same thing which pledges do; for they both signify that something is promised us, and at the same time confirm us in regard to the same thing. It is for this reason that the term seal is added in the definition.