Wesley Corpus

14, 15.) But what has this to do with the extreme unction of the Church of Rome? In the first Church, this anointing was a mere rite: In the Church of Rome, it is made a sacrament I It was used in the first Church for the body; it is used in the Church of Rome for the soul: It was used then for the recovery of the sick; now, for those only that are thought past recovery. It is easy, therefore, to see, that the Romish extreme unction has no foundation in Scripture. 9. We are now to consider what the Church of Rome delivers concerning ordination. “This,” says she, “is properly a sacrament. He that denies it, let him be accursed.” “The orders received in the Church of Rome are seven : The Priest, the Deacon, the Subdeacon, the Acolythus, to carry the candle; the Exorcist, to cast out devils; the Reader, and Door-keeper.” On this, we observe, It is not worth disputing, whether ordination should be called a sacrament or not. Let the word then pass: But we object to the thing; there is no divine authority for any order under a Deacon. Much less is there any Scriptural authority for the forms of conjuration prescribed to the Exorcists; or for the rites prescribed in exorcising not only men, women, and children, but likewise houses, cattle, milk, butter, or fruits, said to be infested with the devil. 10. The next of their sacraments, so called, is marriage; concerning which they pronounce, “Marriage is truly and properly a sacrament. He that denies it so to be, let him be accursed.” We answer, In one sense it may be so. For St. Austin says, “Signs, when applied to religious things, are called sacraments.” In this large sense, he calls the sign of the cross a sacrament; and others give this name to washing the feet. But it is not a sacrament according to the Romish definition of the word; for it no more “confers grace,” than washing the feet or signing with the cross. A more dangerous error in the Church of Rome is, the for bidding the Clergy to marry.