Sacraments

Sacraments, in the theology of the Church of England, are rites ordained by Christ himself as means of grace. The Church Catechism, printed in the Book of Common Prayer, defines a sacrament as "an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace given unto us, ordained by Christ himself, as a means whereby we receive the same, and a pledge to assure us thereof". Anglican teaching, following Article XXV of the Thirty-nine Articles, recognises two sacraments of the Gospel — Baptism and the Supper of the Lord — while treating five other rites commonly called sacraments as belonging to a different order. The sacraments are therefore not empty memorials: they are "effectual signs of grace", by which God works invisibly in those who receive them rightly, and by which faith is both quickened and confirmed.

The definition in the Catechism

The Catechism's definition has two parts, corresponding to the two parts of every sacrament: the outward and visible sign, and the inward and spiritual grace given through it. In Baptism the outward sign is water, in which the person is baptised in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; the inward grace is a new birth, the forgiveness of sins, and adoption into the household of God. In the Supper of the Lord the outward signs are bread and wine; the inward part is the Body and Blood of Christ, which are given, taken, and eaten in the Supper — but only after a heavenly and spiritual manner, and the means of receiving them is faith. A sacrament, on this account, is more than a badge of Christian profession: it is a means whereby grace is actually received, and a pledge that assures the believer of it. Both elements — the visible sign ordained by Christ and the spiritual gift it conveys — are essential to the Anglican understanding.

The two sacraments of the Gospel

Article XXV of the Thirty-nine Articles states that there are two sacraments ordained by Christ in the Gospel: Baptism and the Supper of the Lord, also called the Eucharist or Holy Communion. These two alone rest on Christ's own institution in the Gospel, with a visible sign ordained by him, and these two alone are generally necessary to salvation in the sense that, where they may be had, they may not be neglected. Baptism is the sacrament of entry into the Church, in which the baptised person is grafted into the body of Christ's Church, the promises of the forgiveness of sins and of adoption to be the sons of God are visibly signed and sealed, and faith is confirmed and grace increased. The Supper of the Lord is the sacrament of continual nourishment, in which the faithful feed upon Christ crucified and receive the benefits of his passion. Anglican teaching therefore gives these two rites a unique and dominical status that it does not claim for any other ceremony, however ancient or edifying.

The five commonly called sacraments

Article XXV continues that the five rites "commonly called Sacraments" — Confirmation, penance, orders, matrimony, and extreme unction — "are not to be counted for Sacraments of the Gospel". The Article gives two reasons. Some of them have grown partly out of a corrupt imitation of the apostles, and others are states of life allowed in the Scriptures; but none of them has any visible sign or ceremony ordained by God, as Baptism and the Lord's Supper have. The distinction is one of institution, not of value. Confirmation, ordination, and marriage are retained and honoured in the Church of England, with forms in the Book of Common Prayer, but they are not placed on the same level as the two sacraments Christ himself ordained in the Gospel. Penance and extreme unction, as practised in the medieval Church, were discontinued. The Anglican settlement thus preserved the historic ministry and several historic rites while confining the name "sacrament of the Gospel" to the two dominical sacraments.

Effectual signs of grace

The Articles insist that the sacraments have a real efficacy. They are not mere badges or tokens of Christian profession, but "effectual signs of grace", by which God works invisibly in his people, and does not only quicken but also strengthen and confirm their faith in him. Their effect, however, is tied to worthy receiving: in those who receive them worthily, the sacraments have a wholesome effect and operation, while those who receive them unworthily purchase judgement to themselves. Article XXVI adds that the unworthiness of the minister does not hinder the effect of the sacrament. Because the sacraments are Christ's ordinances and not the minister's, their effect flows from Christ's institution and promise, not from the personal holiness of the man who administers them; nevertheless, the Articles also provide that evil ministers are to be called to account by those who have knowledge of their offences, and deposed if found guilty. The doctrine thus guards at once the objectivity of grace and the discipline of the ministry.

See also

• Browne's Exposition of the Thirty-nine Articles, Article XXV: Of the Sacraments
• Holy Communion
• Confirmation

References

• The Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, Articles XXV and XXVI.
• The Catechism, in the Book of Common Prayer.