# The Catechism of the Council of Trent/Part 2

THE
CATECHISM
OF
THE COUNCIL OF TRENT.
PART II.
ON THE SACRAMENTS.
IF the exposition of every part of the doctrines of Christianity demands knowledge and assiduity on the part of the pastor, that of the Sacraments, which, by the ordinance of God, are a necessary means of salvation, and a plenteous source of spiritual advantage, demands, in a special manner, the application of his combined talents and industry. Thus, by accurate and frequent instruction, shall the faithful be enabled to approach worthily and with salutary effect, these inestimable and most holy institutions; and the pastor will not depart from the rule laid down in the divine prohibition: " Give not that which is holy to dogs: neither cast ye your pearls before swine."
As then we are about to treat of the Sacraments in general, it is proper to begin, in the first place, by explaining the force and meaning of the word " Sacrament," and removing all ambiguity as to its signification, in order the more easily to comprehend the sense in which it is here used. The faithful, there fore, are to be informed that the word Sacrament is differently understood by sacred and profane writers; and to point out its different acceptations will be found pertinent to our present purpose. By some it has been used to express the obligation which arises from an oath, pledging to the performance of some service; and hence, the oath by which soldiers promise military service to the state, has been called a military Sacrament. Amongst profane writers, this seems to have been the most ordinary meaning of the word. But, by the Latin Fathers, who have written on theological subjects, the word Sacrament is used to signify a sacred thing which lies concealed. The Greeks, to express the same idea, made use of the word " Mystery." This, we understand to be the meaning of the word, when, in ​the epistle to the Ephesians, it is said: " that he might make known to us the mystery (sacramentum) of his will;" and to Timothy, "great is the mystery (sacramentum) of godliness;" and in the book of Wisdom: " They knew not the secrets (sacramenta) of God. In these and many other passages the word Sacrament, it will be perceived, signifies nothing more than a holy thing that lies concealed. The Latin Fathers, therefore, deemed the word no inappropriate term to express a sensible sign, which at once, communicates grace to the soul of the receiver, and declares, and, as it were, places before the eyes the grace which it communicates. St. Gregory, however, is of opinion that it is called a Sacrament, because through its instrumentality, the divine power secretly operates our salvation, under the veil of sensible things.
Let it not, however, be supposed that the word Sacrament is of recent ecclesiastical usage. Whoever peruses the writings of S. S. Jerome, and Augustine, will at once perceive, that ancient ecclesiastical writers made frequent use of the word "Sacrament," and sometimes also of the word " symbol," or "mystical or sacred sign," to designate that of which we here speak. Thus much will suffice in explanation of the word Sacrament: and indeed, what we have said applies equally to the Sacraments of the old law: but superseded, as they have been, by the gospel law and grace, instruction regarding them were superfluous.
Besides the meaning of the word, which alone has hitherto engaged our attention, the nature and efficacy of that which it expresses demand our particular inquiry; and the faithful must be taught what constitutes a Sacrament. That the Sacraments are amongst the means of attaining righteousness and salvation, cannot be questioned: but of the many definitions, each of them sufficiently appropriate, which may serve to explain the nature of a Sacrament, there is none more comprehensive, none more perspicuous, than that of St. Augustine: a definition which has since been adopted by all scholastic writers: " A Sacrament," says he, " is a sign of a sacred thing;" or in other words of the same import; "A Sacrament is a visible sign of an invisible grace, instituted for our justification."
The more fully to develope this definition, the pastor will explain it in all its parts. He will first observe, that sensible objects are of two sorts: some invented as signs, others not ^in vented as signs, but existing absolutely and in themselves. To the latter class, almost every object in nature may be said to be long; to the former, spoken and written languages, military standards, images, trumpets, and a multiplicity of other things of the same sort, too numerous to be mentioned. Thus, with regard to words; take away their power of expressing ideas, ​and you seem to take away the only reason for their invention. They are, therefore, properly called signs: for, according to St. Augustine, a sign, besides what it presents to the senses, is a medium through which we arrive at the knowledge of something else: from a footstep, for instance, which we see traced on the ground, we instantly infer that some one whose footstep appears has passed.
A Sacrament, therefore, is clearly to be numbered amongst those things which have been instituted as signs: it makes known to us by external resemblance, that which God, by his invisible power, accomplishes in our souls. To illustrate what we have said by an example; baptism, for instance, which is administered by external ablution, accompanied with certain solemn words, signifies that by the power of the Holy Ghost, all the interior stains and defilements of sin are washed away, and that the soul is enriched and adorned with the admirable gift of heavenly justification; whilst, at the same time, the baptismal ablution, as we shall hereafter explain in its proper place, accomplishes in the soul, that of which it is externally significant. That a Sacrament is to be numbered amongst signs is clearly inferred from Scripture. Speaking of circumcision, a Sacrament of the old law which was given to Abraham, the father of all believers, the Apostle, in his epistle to the Corinthians, says; " and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the justice of the faith which he had;" and in another place; " All we," says he, " who are baptized in Christ Jesus, are baptized in his death:" words which justify the inference that baptism signifies, to use the words of the same Apostle, that " we are buried together with him by baptism into death." To know that the Sacraments are signs, is important to the faithful. This knowledge will lead them more readily to believe, that what they signify, contain, and effectuate, is holy and august; and recognising their sanctity, they will be more disposed to venerate and adore the beneficence of God displayed towards us in their institution.
We now come to explain the words, " sacred thing," which constitute the second part of the definition. To render this explanation satisfactory we must enter somewhat more minutely into the accurate and acute reasoning of St. Augustine on the variety of signs.
Of signs some are called natural, which besides making themselves known to us, also convey a knowledge of something else; an effect, as we have already said, common to all signs. Smoke, for instance, is a natural sign from which we immediately infer the existence of fire. It is called a natural sign, because it implies the existence of fire, not by arbitrary institution, but by its ​intimate connexion with that element: when smoke appears we are at once convinced of the existence of latent fire.
Other signs are not natural, but conventional, invented and instituted by men to enable them to commune one with another, mutually to convey their sentiments and communicate their counsels. The variety and multiplicity of such signs may be inferred from the circumstance, that some belong to the eyes, some to the ears, some to each of the other senses. When we intimate any thing by a sensible sign, for instance, by removing a military standard, it is obvious that such intimation can reach us only through the medium of the eyes; and it is equally obvious that the sound of the trumpet, of the lute, and of the lyre, instruments which are not only sources of pleasure, but frequently signs of ideas, is addressed to the ear. Through the latter sense, are also conveyed words, which are the best medium of communicating our inmost thoughts.
Besides those signs of which we have hitherto spoken, and which are conventional; there are others, and confessedly of more sorts than one, which are of divine appointment. Some were instituted by God, solely to indicate something, or recall its recollection: such were the purifications of the law, the showbread, and many other things which belonged to the Mosaic worship; others not only to signify, but, also, to accomplish what they signify. Among the latter, are manifestly to be numbered the Sacraments of the New Law. They are signs instituted by God, not invented by man, which we believe, with an unhesitating faith, to carry with them that sacred efficacy of which they are the signs. Having, therefore, shown that signs present a variety of appearances; the " sacred thing" which they contain, must also exist under a variety of forms.
With regard to the proposed definition of a Sacrament, divines prove, that by the words "sacred thing," is to be understood the grace of God, which sanctifies the soul and adorns it with every virtue; and of this grace they consider the words " sacred thing," an appropriate appellation, because by its salutary influence the soul is consecrated and united to God.
In order, therefore, to explain more fully the nature of a Sacrament, the pastor will teach that it is a thing subject to the senses; and, possessing by divine institution, at once the power of signifying sanctity and justice, and of imparting both to the receiver. Hence, it is easy to perceive, that the images of the saints, crosses, and the like, although signs of sacred things, cannot be called Sacraments. That such is the nature of a Sacrament is easily proved by applying to each of the Sacraments what has been already said of baptism, viz. that the solemn ablution of the body not only signifies, but has power to effect a sacred thing which is wrought in the soul by the invisible operation of the Holy Ghost.
​It is also pre-eminently, the property of these mystical signs, instituted by Almighty God, to signify, by divine appointment, more than one thing, and this applies to all the Sacraments. All declare not only our sanctity and justification, but also two other things most intimately connected with both the passion of our Lord, which is the source of our sanctification, and eternal life to which, as to its end, our sanctification should be referred. Such, then, being the nature of all the Sacraments, the doctors of the Church justly hold, that each of them has a threefold significancy; reminding us of something passed, indicating something present, foretelling something future. When we say that this is an opinion, held by the Doctors of the Church, let it not be imagined that it is unsupported by Scriptural authority. When the Apostle says: " All we who are baptized in Christ Jesus, are baptized in his death;" he gives us clearly to understand that baptism is called a sign, because it reminds us of the death and passion of our Lord. When he says: " We are buried together with him by baptism into death, that as Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, so, we also, may walk in newness of life;" he also clearly shows, that baptism is a sign which indicates the infusion of divine grace into the soul, enables us by its efficacy to form our lives anew, and renders the performance of all the duties of true piety at once easy and inviting. Finally, when he adds: "If we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection;" he teaches that baptism gives no obscure intimation of eternal life also, which we are to reach through its efficacy.
Besides the different significations already evolved, the Sacraments also not unfrequently indicate and mark the presence of more than one thing. The holy Eucharist, for instance, at once signifies the presence of the real body and blood of Christ, and the grace which it imparts to the worthy receiver. What has been said, therefore, cannot fail to supply the pastor with arguments to prove, how much the power of God is displayed how many hidden miracles are contained in the Sacraments; that thus all may know and feel their obligation to reverence them with the most profound veneration, and to receive them with the most ardent devotion.
But, of all the means employed to make known the proper use of the Sacraments, there is none more effectual than a careful exposition of the reasons of their institution. Amongst these reasons, for there are many, the first is the imbecility of the human mind: we are so constituted by nature, that no one can aspire to mental and intellectual knowledge, unless through the medium of sensible objects. Impelled, therefore, by his goodness towards us, and guided by his wisdom, the Sovereign Creator of the universe, in order to bring the mysterious effects of his divine power more immediately within the sphere of our com​prehension, has ordained that it should be manifested to us, through the intervention of certain sensible signs. As St. Chrysostom happily expresses it: " If man were not clothed with a material body, these good things would have been presented to him unveiled by sensible forms; but, as he is composed of body and soul, it was absolutely necessary to employ sensible signs, in order to assist in making them understood."
Another reason is, because the mind yields a reluctant assent to promises; and hence, God, from the beginning of the world, very frequently, and in express terms points our attention to the promises which he had made; and when designing to execute something, the magnitude of which might weaken a belief in its accomplishment, he confirms his promise by signs, which some times appear miraculous. When, for instance, God sends Moses to deliver the people of Israel; and Moses commissioned as he was by God, and shielded by his protecting arm, still hesitates, fearing his incompetency to the task imposed on him, or the incredulous rejection of the divine oracles on the part of the people, the Almighty confirms his promise by many signs. As, then, in the old law, God ordained that every important promise should be confirmed by certain signs; so, in the new, our divine Redeemer, when he promises pardon of sin, divine grace, the communication of the Holy Spirit, has instituted certain sensible signs which are so many pledges of the inviolability of his word pledges which we are well assured he will not fail to redeem.
A third reason is, that the Sacraments bring, to use the words of St. Ambrose, the healing remedies and medicines, as it were, of the Samaritan mentioned in the Gospel. God wishes us to have recourse to them in order to preserve or recover the health of the soul; for, through the Sacraments as through its proper channel, should flow into the soul the efficacy of the passion of Christ, that is the grace which he purchased for us on the altar of the cross, and without which we cannot hope for salvation. Hence, our most merciful Redeemer has bequeathed to his Church, Sacraments stamped with the sanction of his word, and sealed with the security of his promise, through which, provided we make pious and devout use of these sovereign remedies, we firmly believe that the fruit of his passion is really conveyed to our souls.
A fourth reason why the institution of the Sacraments may seem necessary is, that there may be certain marks and symbols to distinguish the faithful; particularly as, to use the words of St. Augustine, " no society of men, professing a true or a false religion, can, as it were, be incorporated, unless united and held together by some federal bond of sensible signs." Both these objects, the Sacraments of the new law accomplish; distinguish​ing the Christian from the infidel, and connecting the faithful by a sort of sacred bond.
Again, the Apostle says: " With the heart we believe unto justice; but with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." These words, also, afford another very just reason for the institution of the Sacraments by approaching them, we make a public profession of our faith in the face of all men. Thus, when we stand before the baptismal font, we openly pro fess our belief in its efficacy, and declare that, by virtue of its salutary waters, in which we are washed, the soul is spiritually cleansed and regenerated. The Sacraments have also great influence, not only in exciting and exercising our faith, but also in inflaming that charity with which we should love one another; recollecting that, by participating of these mysteries in common, we are knit together in the closest bonds of union, and are made members of one body.
Finally, and the consideration is of the highest importance Sixth, in the study of Christian piety, the Sacraments repress and sub due the pride of the human heart, and exercise the Christian in the practice of humility, by obliging him to a subjection to sensible elements; that thus, in atonement for his criminal defections from God to serve the elements of this world, he may yield to the Almighty the tribute of his obedience. These are principally what appeared to us necessary for the instruction of the faithful, in the name, nature, and institution of a Sacrament. When they shall have been accurately Expounded by the pastor, his next duty will be to explain the constituent parts of each Sacrament, and the rites and ceremonies used in its administration.
In the first place, then, the pastor will inform the faithful, that the " sensible thing" which enters into the definition of a Sacrament as already given, although constituting but one sign, is of a twofold nature: every Sacrament consists of two things; " matter," which is called the element, and " form," which is commonly called " the word." This is the doctrine of the Fathers of the Church, upon which the testimony of St Augustine is familiar to all: " The word," says he, " is joined to the element, and it becomes a Sacrament." By the words " sensible thing," therefore, the Fathers understand not only the matter or element, such.as water in baptism, chrism in confirmation, and oil in extreme-unction, all of which fall under the eye; but also the words which constitute the form, and which are ad dressed to the ear. Both are clearly pointed out by the Apostle, when he says: " Christ loved the. Church, and delivered him self up for it, that he might sanctify it, cleansing it by the laver of water in the word of life." Here the matter and form of the Sacrament are expressly mentioned. But in order to explain, more fully and clearly, the particular efficacy of each, the words which compose the form were to be added to the matter; for ​of all signs, words are evidently the most significant, and with out them it would be difficult to comprehend what the matter of the Sacraments may designate and declare. Water, for instance, has the quality of cooling as well as of cleansing, and may be symbolic of either. In baptism, therefore, unless the words were added, it might be matter of conjecture, of certainty it could not, which was signified; but when the words which compose the form are added, we are no longer at a loss to understand, that baptism possesses and signifies the power of cleansing.
In this, the Sacraments of the New Law excel those of the Old, that there was no definite form, known to us, of administering those of the Old, a circumstance which rendered them uncertain and obscure, whilst, in those of the new, the form is so definite, that any, even a casual, deviation from it renders the Sacrament null; and it is therefore expressed in the clearest terms, and such as exclude the possibility of doubt. These then are the parts which belong to the nature and substance of the Sacraments, and of which every Sacrament is necessarily composed.
To these are added certain ceremonies, which although not to be omitted without sin, unless in case of necessity, yet, if at any time omitted, because not essential to its existence, do not invalidate the Sacrament. It is not without good reason, that the administration of the Sacraments has been, at all times, from the earliest ages of the Church, accompanied with certain solemn ceremonies. There is, in the first place, an obvious propriety in manifesting such a religious reverence to the sacred mysteries, as to appear to handle holy things holily. These ceremonies also serve to display more fully, and place as it were be fore our eyes, the effects of the Sacraments, and to impress more deeply on the minds of the faithful the sanctity of these sacred institutions. They also elevate to sublime contemplation the minds of those who behold them with respectful and religious attention; and excite within them the virtues of faith and of charity. To enable the faithful therefore to know, and understand clearly, the meaning of the ceremonies made use of in the administration of each Sacrament, should be an object of special care and attention to the pastor.
We now come to explain the number of the Sacraments; a knowledge of which is attended with this .advantage, that the greater the number of supernatural aids to salvation which the faithful shall understand to have been provided by the divine goodness, the more ardent the piety with which they will direct all the powers of their souls to praise and proclaim the singular beneficence of God.
The Sacraments then of the Catholic Church are seven, as is proved from Scripture, from the unbroken tradition of the Fathers, and from the authoritative definitions of councils. Why ​they are neither more nor less, may be shown, at least with some degree of probability, even from the analogy that exists between natural and spiritual life. In order to exist, to preserve existence, and to contribute to his own and to the public good, seven things seem necessary to man to be born to grow to be nurtured to be cured when sick when weak to be strengthened as far as regards the public weal, to have magistrates in vested with authority to govern and, finally, to perpetuate him self and his species by legitimate offspring. Analogous then as all these things obviously are, to that life by which the soul lives to God, we discover in them a reason to account for the number of the Sacraments. Amongst them, the first is Baptism, the gate, as it were, to all the other Sacraments, by which we are born again to Christ. The next is Confirmation, by which we grow up, and are strengthened in the grace of God: for, as Augustine observes, "to the Apostles who have already received baptism, the Redeemer said: stay you in the city till you be indued with power from on high. " The third is the Eucharist. Eucharist, that true bread from heaven which nourishes our souls to eternal life, according to these words of the Saviour; "My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed." The fourth is Penance, by which the soul, which has caught Penance, the contagion of sin, is restored to spiritual health. The fifth is Extreme Unction, which obliterates the traces of sin, and invigorates the powers of the soul; of which St. James says: " if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him." The sixth is Holy Orders, which gives power to perpetuate in the Church the public administration of the Sacraments, and the exercise of all the sacred functions of the ministry. The seventh and last is Matrimony, a Sacrament instituted for the legitimate and holy union of man and woman, for the conservation of the human race, and the education of children, in the knowledge of religion, and the love and fear of God.
All and each of the Sacraments, it is true, possess an admirable efficacy given them by God: but it is well worthy of remark, that all are not of equal necessity or of equal dignity, nor is the signification of all the same. Amongst them three are of paramount necessity, a necessity, however, which arises from different causes. The universal and absolute necessity of baptism, these words of the Redeemer unequivocally declare: " Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." The necessity of Penance is relative: Penance is necessary for those only who have stained their baptismal innocence, by mortal guilt: without sincere repentance, their eternal ruin is inevitable. Orders, too, although not necessary to each of the faithful,, are of absolute general necessity to the Church. But, the dignity of the Sa​craments considered, the Eucharist, for holiness, and for the number and greatness of its mysteries, is eminently superior to all the rest. These, however, are matters which will be more easily understood, when we come to explain, in its proper place, what regards each of the Sacraments.
We come, in the next place, to ask from whom we have received these sacred and divine mysteries: any boon, however excellent in itself, receives no doubt an increased value and dignity from him by whose bounty it is bestowed. The question, however, is not one of difficult solution: justification comes from God; the Sacraments are the wonderful instruments of justification; one, and the same God in Christ, must, therefore, be the author of justification, and of the Sacraments. The Sacraments, moreover, contain a power and efficacy which reach the inmost recesses of the soul; and as God alone has power to enter into the sanctuary of the heart, he alone, through Christ, is manifestly the author of the Sacraments. That they are interiorly dispensed by him, is also matter of faith; according to these words of St. John: " He who sent me to baptize with water, said to me; he upon whom them shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining upon him, he it is that baptizeth with the Holy Ghost,"
But God, although the author and dispenser of the Sacraments, would have them administered in his Church by men, not by angels: and to constitute a Sacrament, as constant tradition testifies, matter and form are not more necessary than is the ministry of men.
But, representing as he does, in the discharge of his sacred functions, not his own, but the person of Christ, the minister of the Sacraments, be he good or bad, validly consecrates and confers the Sacraments; provided he make use of the matter and form instituted by Christ, and always observed in the Catholic Church, and intends to do what the Church does in their ad ministration. Unless, therefore, Christians will deprive them selves of so great a good, and resist the Holy Ghost, nothing can prevent them from receiving, through the Sacraments, the fruit of grace. That this was, at all times, a fixed and well defined doctrine of the Church, is established beyond all doubt by St. Augustine, in his disputations against the Donatists; and should we desire Scriptural proof also, we have it in the words of St. Paul; " I have planted, Apollo watered; but God gave the increase." Neither he that plants, therefore, nor he that waters, is any thing, but God who gives " the increase." As, therefore, in planting trees, the vices of the planter do not impede the growth of the vine, so, and the comparison is suffi​ciently intelligible, those who were planted in Christ by the ministry of bad men, sustain no injury from guilt which is not their own. Judas Iscariot, as the Holy Fathers infer from the Gospel of St. John, Conferred baptism on many; and yet none of those whom he baptized are recorded to have been baptized again. To use the memorable words of St. Augustine: " Judas baptized, and yet after him none were rebaptized: John baptized, and after John they were rebaptized, because the baptism administered by Judas was the baptism of Christ, but that ad ministered by John was the baptism of John: not that we prefer Judas to John, but that we justly prefer the baptism of Christ, although administered by Judas, to the baptism of John although administered by the hands of John."
But, let not the pastor, or other minister of the Sacraments, hence infer that he fully acquits himself of his duty, if, disregarding integrity of life and purity of morals, he attend only to the administration of the Sacraments in the manner prescribed. True, the manner of administering them is a matter of the highest importance; but it is no less true, that it does not constitute all that enters into the worthy discharge of this duty. It should never be forgotten, that the Sacraments, although they cannot lose the divine efficacy inherent in them, bring eternal death and everlasting perdition on him who dares to administer them with hands stained with the defilement of sin. Holy things, and the observation cannot be too often repeated, should be treated holily, and with due reverence: " To the sinner," says the prophet, "God has said: why dost thou declare my justices, and take my covenant in thy mouth, seeing that thou hast hated discipline?" If then, for him who is defiled by sin it is unlawful to speak on divine things, how enormous the guilt of that man, who, with conscious guilt, dreads not to consecrate with polluted lips these holy mysteries to take them to touch them nay more, with sacrilegious hands, to administer them to others? The symbols, (so he calls the Sacraments) " the wicked," says St. Denis, " are not allowed to touch." It therefore becomes the first, the most important duty of the minister of these holy things, to aspire to holiness of life, to approach with purity the administration of the Sacraments, and so to exercise himself in the practice of piety, that, from their frequent administration and use, they may every day receive, with the divine assistance, a more abundant effusion of grace.
When these important matters have been explained, the effects of the Sacraments present to the pastor the next subject of instruction; a subject, it is hoped, which will throw considerable light on the definition of a Sacrament as already given.
The principal effects of the Sacraments are two; sanctifying grace, and the character which they impress. The former, that is, the grace which we, in common with the doctors of the ​Church, call sanctifying grace, deservedly holds the first place That this is an effect produced by the Sacraments, we know from these words of the Apostle: " Christ," says he, " loved the Church, and delivered himself up for it; that he might sanctify it, cleansing it by the laver of water in the word of life." But how so great and so admirable an effect is produced by the Sacraments, that, to use the words of St. Augustine, "water cleanses the body, and reaches the heart:" this, indeed, the mind of man, aided by the light of reason alone, is unequal to comprehend. It ought to be an established law, that nothing sensible can, of its own nature, reach the soul; but we know by the light of faith, that in the Sacraments exists the power of the Omnipotent, effectuating that which the natural elements cannot of themselves accomplish.
That on this subject no doubt may exist in the minds of the faithful, God, in the abundance of his mercy, was pleased, from the moment of their institution, to manifest by exterior miracles, the effects which they operate interiorly in the soul: this he did, in order that we may always believe that the same interior effects, although inaccessible to the senses, are still produced by them. To say nothing of that which the Scripture re cords that, at the baptism of the Redeemer in the Jordan, " The heavens were opened, and the Holy Ghost appeared in the form of a dove;" to teach us, that when we are washed in the sacred font, his grace is infused into our souls to omit these splendid miracles which have reference rather to the consecration of baptism, than to the administration of the Sacraments do we not read, that on the day of Pentecost, when the Apostles received the Holy Ghost, and were, thenceforward, inspired with greater courage and firmer resolution to preach the faith, and brave danger of every sort for the glory of Christ, " there came suddenly a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting, and there appeared to them parted tongues, as it were of fire." These visible effects give us to understand that, in the Sacrament of Confirmation, the same spirit is given us, and the same strength imparted, which enable us resolutely to encounter, and with fortitude to resist, our implacable enemies, the world, the flesh, and the devil. As often as. these Sacraments were administered by the Apostles, so often, during the infancy of the Church, did the same miraculous effects follow; and they ceased not to be visible until the faith had acquired maturity and strength.
From what has been said of sanctifying grace, the first effect of the Sacraments, it also clearly follows, that there resides in the Sacraments of the New Law, a virtue far more exalted and ​efficacious than that of the Sacraments of the Old, which, as " weak and needy elements, sanctified such as were defiled to the cleansing of the flesh," but not of the spirit. They were, therefore, instituted as signs only of those things, which were to be accomplished by the Sacraments of the new law Sacraments which flowing from the side of Christ, " who, by the Holy Ghost, offered himself unspotted unto God, cleanse our consciences from dead works, to serve the living God," and thus work in us, through the blood of Christ, the grace which they signify. Comparing them, therefore, with the Sacraments of the old law, we shall find that not only are they more efficacious, but, also, more exuberant of spiritual advantages, and Stamped with the characters of superior dignity and holiness.
The other effect of the Sacraments, an effect, however, not common to all, but peculiar to three, Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders, is the character which they impress on the soul. When the Apostle says: " God hath anointed us, who also hath sealed us, and given the pledge of the Spirit in our hearts," he clearly designates by the word " sealed," this sacramental character, the property of which is to impress a seal and mark on the soul. This character is, as it were, a distinctive and indelible impression stamped on the soul; of which St. Augustine says: " Shall the Christian Sacraments accomplish less than the bodily mark impressed on the soldier? That mark is not stamped on his person anew, as often as he resumes the military service which he had relinquished; but the old one is recognised and approved."
This character has a two-fold effect, it qualifies us to receive or. perform something sacred, and distinguishes us one from another. In the character impressed by Baptism, both effects are exemplified: by it we are qualified to receive the other Sacraments; and the Christian is distinguished from those who pro fess not the name of Christ. The same illustration is afforded by the characters impressed by Confirmation and Holy Orders: by the one we are armed and arrayed as soldiers of Christ, publicly to profess and defend his name, to fight against our domes tic enemy, and against the spiritual powers of wickedness in the high places, and are also distinguished from those who, being newly baptized, are, as it were, new-born infants: the other combines the power of consecrating and administering the Sacraments, and also distinguishes those who are invested with this power, from the rest of the faithful. The rule of the Catholic Church is, therefore, inviolably to be observed: it teaches that these three Sacraments impress a character and are never to be reiterated.
​Two things to be kept in view by the Pastor, in his explanation of the Sacraments.On the subject of the Sacraments in general, these are the matters of instruction which we proposed to deliver. In communicating them to the faithful, the pastor will keep in view, principally, two things: the one, to impress on the minds of the faithful a deep sense of the honour, respect and veneration, due to these divine and celestial gifts; the other, to urge on all the necessity of having recourse, piously and religiously, to those sacred institutions established by the God of infinite mercy, for the common salvation of all; and of being so inflamed with the desire of attaining Christian perfection, as to deem it a deplorable loss to be, for any time, deprived of the salutary use, particularly, of Penance, and of the Holy Eucharist. These important objects the pastor will find little difficulty in accomplishing, if he press frequently on the attention of the faithful, what we have already said on the august dignity and salutary efficacy of the Sacraments—that they were instituted by the Lord Jesus, from whom nothing imperfect can emanate—that when administered, the most powerful influence of the Holy Ghost is present, pervading the inmost sanctuary of the soul—that they possess an admirable and unfailing virtue to cure our spiritual maladies, and communicate to us the inexhaustible riches of the passion of our Lord—in fine, that the whole edifice of Christian piety, although resting on the most firm foundation of the corner stone, unless supported on every side by the preaching of the divine word, and by the use of the Sacraments, must, it is greatly to be apprehended, having partially yielded, ultimately fall to the ground; for as we are ushered into spiritual life by means of the Sacraments; so, by the same means, are we nurtured and preserved, and grow to spiritual increase.
* ↑ Vii. Concil. Trid. Sess. 17.
* ↑ Matt vii.
* ↑ Eph. i. 9.
* ↑ 1 Tim. iii. 16.
* ↑ Wisd. ii. 22.
* ↑ D. Greg, in 1. Reg. cap. 16. vers. 13.
* ↑ vid. Hieron. in Amos, c. 1, v. i. & Iren. c. i. v. 15.
* ↑ Aug. in Joan. Tract. 80. in fine, et contra Faust, lib. 19. c. 11. Cypr. epist. 15, et l.h de bapt. Christ.
* ↑ D. Aug. lib. 10. de Civ. Dei, c. 5. & epist. 2.
* ↑ Aug. lib. 2. de doct. Christ, c. 1.
* ↑ Aug. de doct. Christ, lib. 3. c. 9. et epist. 23. et de Catch, erud. c. 26. potest videri Tertul. de resur. carnis. c. 8. et Greg, in 1. Reg. lib. 6. c. 3. post init.
* ↑ Gen. xvii. 10.
* ↑ Rom. iv. 11.
* ↑ Rom. vi. 3.
* ↑ Rom. vi. 4
* ↑ Lib. 1. de doctr. Christ, c. 1.
* ↑ Aug. de doct. Christ, lib. 2. c. 1. et seq.
* ↑ Aug. de doct. Christ, lib. 3. c. 9. Exod. xii. 15. Concil. Trid. Sess. 7. de Saci
* ↑ Rom. vi. 3
* ↑ Rom vi. 4
* ↑ Rom v. 5
* ↑ Chrys. hom.83. in Matt. & horn. 60. ad Pop. Antioch.
* ↑ Exod. iii. 10, 11. Ibid iv. 2.
* ↑ Aug. lib. 4. de baplis. contra Donatist. cap. 24.
* ↑ Ambr. lib. 5. de Sacr. c. 4.
* ↑ D. Aug. lib. 19. contra Faust, c. 11 & de vera rel. c 17. Basil, in exh. ad bapt.
* ↑ Rom. x. 10
* ↑ Aug. in Joan.tract. 80.
* ↑ Eph. v . 25
* ↑ Aug. de doct. Christi, lib. ii. c. 3.
* ↑ Trid. sess. 7. can l fie sac. in gen. Cone. Flo. in dec. ad Arm. D. Th. p. 3. q. 63. art. 1
* ↑ D. Aug. ep. 18. et Luke xxiv. 49.
* ↑ John vi. 55.
* ↑ James v. 15.
* ↑ Luke v. 11.
* ↑ John iii. 5
* ↑ Trid. 1. Sess. 7, can. 3, 4. de feutr. in germ. D. Tli. p. 3. q. 05. art. 4.
* ↑ Dionys. lib. de Eccles. Hier. c. 3.
* ↑ Ambr. lib. 4. de Sacr. cap. 6. D. Tho. p. 3. q. 62. Trid. Sess. 7. can. 1 de Sacr. in gen. lib. de Eccles. dog. & Cassian. collat. 7. 18.
* ↑ John i 33.
* ↑ Trid. Sess. 7. de Sac. in gen. c. 11 & 12. Greg. JNaz. in Oral, in S. bapt. Ambr de hisqui myst. init. cap. 5. Chrysost. horn. 8. in 1 Cor.
* ↑ A i. contra Crescen. lib. 4. c. 20. contra Dpnat. lib. 1. c. 4. & lib. 2. contra lib. til. c. 47.
* ↑ I Cor. iii. 6.
* ↑ John iv. 2.
* ↑ Acts xix. 3 5.
* ↑ Aug. in Joan.
* ↑ Aug. in Joan, tract. 5. & contra Cresc. lib. 3. c. 6. D. Thom, p. 3. q. 93. art. 4.
* ↑ Ps. xlix. 16.
* ↑ Conc. Trid. can. 6.
* ↑ S. Dion, de Eccl. Hier c. 1.
* ↑ Eph. v. 25, 26.
* ↑ S. Aug. in Joan, tract. 80.
* ↑ De hoc effectu sacramen. vid. Trid. Sess. 7, can. 6, 7, 8. de sacr. Aug. tract. 2b in Joan. & contr. Faust, c. 16 & 17, & in Ps. lxxvii. 15, 16.
* ↑ Matt. iii. 16. Mark i. 10. Luke iii. 22.
* ↑ Acts i. 2, 6.
* ↑ Aug. lib. quasi. Vet. & Nov. Test. q. 93.
* ↑ Aug. lib, 19 contr. Faust, c. 13, & in Ps. hxxiii. Ambr. lib. de Sacr. c. 4.
* ↑ Gal. iv. 9
* ↑ Heb. ix. 13.
* ↑ Heb. ix. 14.
* ↑ Aug. lib. 2. de Simb. c. 6, & in Joan. Tract. 15, & lib. 15. de Civil. Dei, c. 26
* ↑ 2 Cor. i. 21.
* ↑ Trid ib. can.
* ↑ De hoc charact. vide Aug. lib. 2. contr. ep Farm. c. 33, & ep. 50, circa, medi um, & tract 6, in Joan. & lect. 1. contr. Cresceii. c. 30. item D. Thorn, p. 3. q. 63.