[Calvin's introduction]
One of the regular practices of the
Church which was steadily supported was that children should be properly taught
Christian doctrine. So that this might be the more suitably done, not only were
schools opened but also it was accepted as a public duty and regulation that
children should be questioned in church about particular topics which ought to
be commonly known among all Christians. And so that this might be done in an
orderly fashion it was set out in a document known as a 'Catechism'. After
that the devil overturned this holy order. He had horribly torn down the Church
of God and presided over its shameful destruction, all too many signs of which
still exist over the greater part of the world. Nothing remained of the former
arrangement but some foolish trifles which merely encouraged superstitions
without any compensating advantages. One of these is what they call
Confirmation, in which they bring a great deal of the most absurd play-acting
which admirably fits the antics of monkeys but has no other foundation. What we
now put forward in its place is exactly what was formerly used by Christians and
true worshippers of God, until such time as the Church became utterly
corrupt.
Catechism
How young children should be
dealt with.
All citizens and inhabitants must bring or send their youngsters
to the catechism as mentioned on Sundays at mid-day. A certain formula shall be
devised from which they are to be taught together with the doctrine they are to
receive. They are to be questioned on what has been said to see if they have
really understood and remembered it. When a child has been sufficiently
instructed to get beyond the catechism, let him carefully recite its essentials
and, in this way, use it as a confession of his Christian faith and in the
presence of the Church.
No child should be admitted to receive the Supper before he
has done this, and parents should be told not to bring them before time. It is a
serious matter for parents and children alike to attempt to secure admission
without good and sufficient introduction. These are the arrangements to be
followed to secure this. So that there no mistake, children who go to school are
required to meet there before noon; and their teachers are enjoined to bring
them along in each parish and in good order. Others are to be brought or sent by
their fathers.
[Sections I, II and III deal with Faith, the Law and
Prayer]
Section IV. Of the Word of
God.
M[aster] Our arrangement required that in Section IV we
consider the worship of God.
P[upil] We say that this consists in our
recognising God as the author of all good things, and we honour his goodness,
justice, wisdom and power by praise and giving thanks. In this way the glory of
all good things may wholly remain with him.
M Has he not made any rule
about this?
P Whatever Scripture says about his praise should be our
guide.
M Does not the Lord's Prayer contain something relevant?
P
Certainly, when we wish to glorify his name we wish it in order that his glory
may be manifested in all his works
. . . .
Recognising him means
that we show him proper honour and worship so that he may be to us not only Lord
but also Father and Servant, while we in our turn are his sons and servants and
accordingly dedicate our lives to showing forth his glory.
M What is the
way by which such a good end is attained?
P To this end he has left to us
his holy word. For it is spiritual teaching, a doorway (as it were) by which we
enter his heavenly kingdom.
M Where can we find this word?
P In
the holy Scriptures wherein it is contained
. . . .
M Is it not
necessary for church to have pastors?
P Yes, and to listen to them and
receive with fear and reverence Christ's teaching which they set forth. So any
one who despises them or withdraws from hearing them despises Christ and
forsakes the society of the faithful . . . .
M Is it not sufficient for a
Christian to be instructed once by his pastor or must he continue all his
life?
P It is very little use starting unless you go on. We ought always
to be followers of Christ, to the very end. He laid this duty on the ministers
of the Church that they should teach us in his name and place.
Section V.
Concerning the Sacraments.
M Is there no other way beside the spoken word
by which God communicates with us?
P He has added the sacraments to
preaching.
M What is a sacrament?
P An outwards testimony of the
grace of God who by a visible sign shows us things spiritual, to inscribe his
promises in our hearts and to make us more certain of their truth.
M Does
so much power exist under a visible sign that it can secure conscience in the
assurance of salvation?
P It does not have this of itself, but by God's
will because it is instituted to this end.
. . . .
M Is it not a
sign of infidelity not to have a firm faith in God's promises, without our
finding confirmation elsewhere?
P It certainly is a sign of insufficient
faith: this can be true of God's children without their ceasing to be believers;
since such faith as they have may be inadequate and imperfect. For as long as we
live in this world some vestiges of unbelief always remain in our flesh which we
cannot eliminate save by continuous striving to the end of our lives. Hence it
is always necessary to advance further.
M How many sacraments of the
Christian Church are there?
P Two altogether, commonly in use by all the
faithful.
M Which are they?
P Baptism and the Holy
Supper.
M What have they in common or where do they differ?
P
Baptism is, as it were, access to the Church for us. For therein we have
evidence, that instead of being foreigners and strangers, we are taken into
God's household and accounted as his servants. The Supper indicates that God
shows himself to us as Father by feeding our souls.
M To understand the
meaning of each, let us take them one by one. First, what is the meaning of
baptism?
P It has two parts. In it there are shown first the forgiveness
of sins and then spiritual regeneration . . .
M What similarity does
there exist between water and the things it represents?
P The forgiveness
of sins is a kind of washing by which our souls are cleansed of their stains:
and just so bodily dirt is washed away by water.
. . . .
M What have we
to do to make use of baptism in the right way?
P The proper use of
baptism is found in faith and in repentance. This means that we must have firm
spiritual faith, so that we may be cleansed by the blood of Christ from all
stains and are determined to please God: next that we feel that his spirit
dwells within us and we show this by what we do to our neighbours, to the end
that by diligent thought we may mortify the flesh and be obedient to God's
will.
M Is all this is required to make proper use of baptism, how is it
that we baptise infants?
P It is not necessary that faith and repentance
shall always precede baptism. This is asked only of those who are old enough to
be capable of both. It is sufficient if, after they have grown up, children
demonstrate the power of baptism.
M Can you show me by reason that there
is nothing absurd about this?
P Certainly - so long as you grant that
nothing ordained by God is contrary to reason. For Moses brought it about that
circumcision was a sign of repentance, and all the prophets teach, as St Paul
testifies, that it was a sacrament of faith: we see that children were not
exempted from it.
M But are the same conditions as prevailed for
circumcision to be applied to baptism?
P Absolutely. Because the promises
which God made to the children of Israel are not extended to the whole
world.
. . . .
M Let us pass to the Supper. First, I would like
to know from you what does it signify?
P Being instituted by Christ it
should teach us that our souls are drawn to hope of eternal life by contact with
his body and blood, and we can be sure of this.
M But why is the Lord's
body indicated by bread and blood by wine?
P Assuredly in this we are
taught that just as bread is able to feed the body to maintain our present
lives, the body of the Lord has the same quality, to nourish our souls
spiritually. Again, just as wine strengthens, refreshes and gladdens men's
bodies, so Christ's blood does the same for their souls.
M Does it not
follow that we are fed by the body and blood of our Lord?
P That is how I
understand it.
M Our salvation came about entirely through Christ's
obedience to his Father. Since we are the beneficiaries of that obedience, it is
as if this action were imputed to us. We must therefore continue to be obedient.
The benefits obtained by Christ could not be ours unless he had previously given
himself for us.
. . . .
M What more do we obtain from the Supper,
or what further advantages does it confer on us?
P Just this - that by it
the communion with us of which I have spoken is confirmed and increased.
Although Christ is truly brought to us in baptism and in the Gospel, yet we do
not receive him in his entirety by those means, but in part only.
M What
do we have in the symbol of the bread?
P The body of Christ as it was
once sacrificed for us to reconcile us to God, so likewise it is now to be given
to us, so that we may be certain that we share in this act of
reconciliation.
M What is there in the symbol of the wine?
P
Christ, in that he once shed his blood for the satisfaction of sinners and the
price of our redemption, so now it is given to us to drink so that we may
experience the advantage that ought to come to us from it.
M According to
these two answers the holy supper of our Lord brings us into contact with his
death so that we may share in its benefits.
. . . .
M Ought all
people equally and without exception to receive both [bread and wine]?
P
That is Christ's order. It is utterly wrong to try anything to the contrary or
to detract from it in any way.
. . . .
M But how can this be when
Christ's body is in heaven while we are still on our eathly pilgrimage?
P
The Spirit brings this about by his wonderful and hidden power: he finds no
difficulty in uniting things which in other respects are separated by an
interval in space.
M You do not suppose, do you, that the body is
included in the bread or the blood in the chalice?
P Not in the least.
Indeed I rather feel this way, that receiving signs in truth means raising our
minds to heaven, where Christ is and from whence we await him as judge and
redeemer: it is assuredly useless to seek him in the corruptible, earthly
elements.
M To sum up what you have said: you maintain that there are two
things in the supper, namely bread and wine which are seen by the eyes, touched
by hands, recognized by taste: further there is Christ on whom our inward souls
feed as being food proper to them.
. . . .
M How should we judge
anyone who despises the use of the sacraments?
P To do this is an
indirect denial of Christ. By behaving in that way he indicates that he does not
want to confess himself a Christian, and so should not be counted as
one.
M Might it be enough to have received both of the two sacraments
once in a lifetime?
P One baptism is quite enough and it is not right to
repeat it. About the Supper the reasoning is different.
M What is this
difference?
P Our Lord adopts us by baptism and admits us by election
into his church, so that he may thereafter have us as his servants. After he has
written our names among the number of his own, he signifies by the supper that
he takes care to have us continuously nourished.
M Can just any one
administer Baptism and the Supper?
P No. These duties are appropriate
only for those whose appointed office it is to teach in public. Feeding the
church by the dotrine of salvation and administering the sacraments are matters
which are inseparably bound up with one another.
. . . .
P As far
as baptism is concerned, which today is applicable to infants only, he has no
discretion in the matter. In the Supper, however, the minister should take care
lest he offer it to some one who is publicly well known to be unworthy of
it.
M Why?
P Because that would involve contempt and profanation
of the Sacrament.
. . . .
M So has it been a good thing that a
defined order of government has been set up in the churches?
P Certainly,
for otherwise they are not well constituted or suitably established. That is the
reason why Elders are chosen who are guardians of morality and watch over and
warn offenders. When they know that some persons are not in a state to receive
the Supper and cannot be admitted without the sacrament being thereby polluted,
they exclude them from communion.
. . . .
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