Christi, against sin, the world, and the devil (3) The bap- tismal cojifession, which was regarded as a spiritual oath. (4) Baptism itself, which, therefore, was often styled sacrameidum Jidei, s. salictis, also pignvs salutis. (5) It became almost synonymous with mystei:y, by reason of an inaccurate translation of the Greek fxvuThpioi/ in the Vulgate (comp. Eph. v. 32), and was accordingly appUcd to facts, truths, and precepts of the gospel which were concealed from those not Christians, and to the Christian revelation in general. (G) The eucharist, and other holy ordinances and usages of the church. (7) After the twelfth century the seven wcll-kno^vn sacraments of the Catholic church. Comp. the proofs in Hahn, 1. c. pp. 5-10, where yet other less usual senses of the word are adduced. § 91. THE SACRAMENTS IN GENERAL. 475 geratioiis. He defines a sacrament to be a visible sign of an invisible grace or divine blessing.' Two constituents, therefore, belong to such a holy act : the outward symbol or sensible ele- ment (the sigmim, also sacramentum in the stricter sense), which is visible to the eye, and the inward grace or divine virtue (the res or virtus sacramenti), which is an object of faith." The two, the sign and the thing signified, are united by the word of consecration.^ From the general spirit of Augustine's doctrine, and several of his expressions, we must infer that he considered divine institution by Christ to be also a mark of such holy ordinance." But subsequently this important point retired from the consciousness of the church, and admitted the widening of the idea, and the increase of the number, of the sacraments. Augustine was also the first to frame a distinct doctrine of the operation of the sacraments. In his view the sacraments work grace or condemnation, blessing or curse, according to the condition of the receiver.^ They operate, therefore, not ' Signum visibile, or forma visibilis gratiee invisibilis. Augustine calls the sacra- ments also verba visibilia, signacula corporalia, signa rerum spiritualium, signacula rerum divinarum yisibilia, etc. See Halm, 1. c. p. 11 if. The definition is not adequate. At least a third mark must be added, not distinctly mentioned by Augus- tine, viz., the divina institutio, or, more precisely, a mandatum Christi. This is the point of difference between the Cathohc and Protestant conceptions of the sacra- ment. The Roman and Greek churches take the divine institution in a much broader sense, while Protestantism understands by it an express command of Christ in the New Testament, and consequently limits the number of sacraments to baptism and the Lord's Supper, since for the other five sacraments the Catholic church can show no such command. Yet confirmation, ordination, and marriage have practically acquired a sacramental import in Protestantism, especially in the Lutheran and Anglican churches. - Augustine, De catechiz. rudibus, § 50 : " Sacramenta signacula quidem rerum divinarum esse visibilia, sed res ipsas invisibiles in eis honorari." Serm. ad pop. 292 (tom. V. p. 770):