The internal impulsive cause is the goodness of God, the external or meritorious cause is the merit of Christ. The lesser principal cause ordinarily is the minister of the church, in cases of necessity however also laymen or women. The form of the sacrament is the word of institution, added to the action sensibly occupied about the element. The end to whom of the sacrament are humans carnally born and living. It is possible to define the sacrament in general, that it is a divine action instituted out of the grace of God on account of the merit of Christ, occupied about an external and sensible element, through which, coming near by the word of institution, to men the grace of the gospel about the forgiveness of sins to eternal life is conferred or sealed.
Some sacraments are of the old, others of the new testament.
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