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Objection 1: It seems that Christ as man had the power of producing
the interior sacramental effect. For John the Baptist said (Jn.
1:33): "He, Who sent me to baptize in water, said to me: He
upon Whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining upon
Him, He it is that baptizeth with the Holy Ghost." But to
baptize with the Holy Ghost is to confer inwardly the grace of the
Holy Ghost. And the Holy Ghost descended upon Christ as man, not
as God: for thus He Himself gives the Holy Ghost. Therefore it
seems that Christ, as man, had the power of producing the inward
sacramental effect.
Objection 2: Further, our Lord said (Mt. 9:6): "That you
may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins."
But forgiveness of sins is an inward sacramental effect. Therefore it
seems that Christ as man produces the inward sacramental effect.
Objection 3: Further, the institution of the sacraments belongs to
him who acts as principal agent in producing the inward sacramental
effect. Now it is clear that Christ instituted the sacraments.
Therefore it is He that produces the inward sacramental effect.
Objection 4: Further, no one can confer the sacramental effect
without conferring the sacrament, except he produce the sacramental
effect by his own power. But Christ conferred the sacramental effect
without conferring the sacrament; as in the case of Magdalen to whom
He said: "Thy sins are forgiven Thee" (Lk. 7:48).
Therefore it seems that Christ, as man, produces the inward
sacramental effect.
Objection 5: Further, the principal agent in causing the inward
effect is that in virtue of which the sacrament operates. But the
sacraments derive their power from Christ's Passion and through the
invocation of His Name; according to 1 Cor. 1:13: "Was
Paul then crucified for you? or were you baptized in the name of
Paul?" Therefore Christ, as man, produces the inward sacramental
effect.
On the contrary, Augustine (Isidore, Etym. vi) says: "The
Divine power in the sacraments works inwardly in producing their
salutary effect." Now the Divine power is Christ's as God, not
as man. Therefore Christ produces the inward sacramental effect, not
as man but as God.
I answer that, Christ produces the inward sacramental effect, both
as God and as man, but not in the same way. For, as God, He
works in the sacraments by authority: but, as man, His operation
conduces to the inward sacramental effects meritoriously and
efficiently, but instrumentally. For it has been stated (Question
48, Articles 1,6; Question 49, Article 1) that Christ's
Passion which belongs to Him in respect of His human nature, is the
cause of justification, both meritoriously and efficiently, not as the
principal cause thereof, or by His own authority, but as an
instrument, in so far as His humanity is the instrument of His
Godhead, as stated above (Question 13, Articles 2,3;
Question 19, Article 1).
Nevertheless, since it is an instrument united to the Godhead in
unity of Person, it has a certain headship and efficiency in regard to
extrinsic instruments, which are the ministers of the Church and the
sacraments themselves, as has been explained above (Article 1).
Consequently, just as Christ, as God, has power of "authority"
over the sacraments, so, as man, He has the power of ministry in
chief, or power of "excellence." And this consists in four things.
First in this, that the merit and power of His Passion operates in
the sacraments, as stated above (Question 62, Article 5). And
because the power of the Passion is communicated to us by faith,
according to Rm. 3:25: "Whom God hath proposed to be a
propitiation through faith in His blood," which faith we proclaim by
calling on the name of Christ: therefore, secondly, Christ's power
of excellence over the sacraments consists in this, that they are
sanctified by the invocation of His name. And because the sacraments
derive their power from their institution, hence, thirdly, the
excellence of Christ's power consists in this, that He, Who gave
them their power, could institute the sacraments. And since cause
does not depend on effect, but rather conversely, it belongs to the
excellence of Christ's power, that He could bestow the sacramental
effect without conferring the exterior sacrament. Thus it is clear how
to solve the objections; for the arguments on either side are true to a
certain extent, as explained above.
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