[The principal points which are at this day in controversy, concerning the holly supper…[The principal points which are at this daye in controuersie, concerning the holly supper…

Chapter xxi.

Whether the Sacraments and their virtue do depend as well of the persons which do administer them, as of those to whom they are administered.

Whether the Sacraments and their vertue do depend as well of the persons which doe administer them, as of those to whom they are administred.

But they may reply that if it were so as I say,¹ according to the testimony of Saint Augustine, the sacraments, and the virtue and the efficacy of them should depend more upon the faith of them, to whom they should be administered, then upon the ordinance and the word of God, whereupon they are builded.² Whereunto I answer that so far it is of from me so to conclude, that I say yet further, that they do not only not depend at all upon those unto whom they are administered, neither yet upon the very ministers which do administer them. For albeit the minister were as unfaithful as Judas was, yea thoroughly an Atheist, and of the worst conscience of the world, that notwithstanding the sacraments which they should administer, should be no less sacraments, then if a very Apostle of Christ, or some other very holy personage should administer them, provided that such a minister should be called by lawful vocation, according to the ⟨image 25⟩order which the Lord hath ordained in his Church, and that he should administer the sacraments in the very true manner that they have been ordained by the Lord, without adding or diminishing, changing, disguising and counterfeiting in any thing which belongeth to their proper nature and substance. Note. For if their virtue and efficacy should depend of him that doth administer them, in what case should the Church be? For what assurance might she have, whether the sacraments which are administered unto her be true sacraments or no, if it were so that their assurance were builded in such matter upon the faith of her ministers? For she is not God, which only knoweth the hearts whereby to discern them. Wherefore, if her assurance be not better grounded then upon the faith of the ministers, it must needs be that she should remain alway in doubt, for so much as she can not judge of the hearts of men, nor consequently of the faith or unfaithfulness which may be in them. From whence it should follow, that she should alway remain in doubt, & consequently that she should not receive any sacrament in assured faith, for so much as faith is so contrary to doubt, as is trust and assurance. Wherefore they may in no wise agree together. And therefore in such a case, the Church needeth not but to have a regard to three points. The first is,