Breviloquium

But concerning the institution of the Sacraments this is to be held: that Christ, as mediator of the new testament¹ and chief bearer of the law, in which he called us to the eternal promises, gave directing precepts and instituted sanctifying Sacraments. — But he instituted them in words and elements for the evidence of signification and the efficacy of sanctification, so that they always have the signification of truth, but not always the efficacy of healing, not on account of a defect in themselves, but on the part of the recipient. — But he instituted the aforesaid Sacraments in diverse ways: some by confirming, approving and consummating, as matrimony and penance; others by insinuating and initiating, as confirmation and extreme unction; still others by initiating, consummating and receiving them in himself, as the Sacrament of baptism, the eucharist and order. For he both fully instituted these three and also first received them.²

The reason for understanding the aforesaid is this: because our reparative principle is Christ crucified, namely, the incarnate Word, which, because it is the Word coequal and consubstantial with the Father, is the Word of highest power, highest truth and highest goodness, and thereby also of highest authority; and therefore it properly belongs to him to introduce the new testament, and it also belongs to him to give the law whole and sufficient according to the exigency of his highest virtue, truth and goodness. Therefore, by reason of the highest goodness, he proposed beatifying promises; by reason of the highest truth, he gave directing commands; by reason of the highest power, he established assisting Sacraments; so that through the Sacraments virtue might be restored for fulfilling the directing commands, and through the directives of the precepts one might arrive at the eternal promises, with the eternal Word, namely Christ the Lord, doing this in the evangelical law, insofar as he is the way, the truth and the life.³

Again, since the reparative principle is not only the Word insofar as he is Word, but also insofar as he is incarnate,⁴ which, by the very fact that it is incarnate, offers itself to all for knowledge of the truth and presents itself to all who approach worthily for the grace of healing; hence it is that, as full of grace and truth,⁵ for greater evidence of signification and efficacy of sanctification he instituted the Sacraments in elements together with words, so that, while the elements offered themselves to the eyes and the words to the ears, which are the two most cognitive senses, they might give evidence of the expressed signification; then also the words might sanctify the elements, so that the efficacy of human healing might become fuller, which, since it is given to no one who inwardly resists and attacks the fountain of grace in the heart, is why they were so instituted that they might signify always and universally, but sanctify only those who approach worthily without any pretense.⁶

Finally, since, although the incarnate Word is the fountain of sacramental grace, some sacramental grace nevertheless existed before the incarnation, some only after the mission of the Holy Spirit, and some in an intermediate way; hence it was necessary for the Sacraments to be instituted in diverse ways. For before the incarnation both penitential contrition and marital generation were necessary; therefore he did not institute these two Sacraments anew, but consummated and confirmed in the evangelical law those already instituted by him and in a certain way impressed upon the natural dictate, while he preached penance, attended weddings and approved the law of marriage, as is gathered from various passages of the Gospel.⁷ — But before the mission of the Holy Spirit there was neither a full gift of the Holy Spirit for confirmation and the public confession of Christ's name, nor a plenary anointing of the mind for its flight; therefore Christ only initiated and insinuated these two Sacraments, namely confirmation and extreme unction: confirmation by laying his hand on the little ones and foretelling that the disciples were to be baptized with the Holy Spirit; but extreme unction by sending the disciples to heal, who anointed the sick with oil, as is said in Mark.⁸ — But in the intermediate time there was also regeneration, the ordering of the Church and spiritual nourishment; therefore Christ fully and clearly instituted these three Sacraments, namely baptism, the eucharist and order: first by receiving baptism, then by giving its form and publishing it to the others;⁹ order by first giving the power to bind and loose the sins of the human race and the power to confect the Sacrament of the altar; but the eucharist by comparing himself to a grain of wheat and confecting and giving to the disciples, with the passion imminent, the Sacrament of his body and blood. — And therefore these three Sacraments ought to be distinctly and integrally instituted by Christ and figured in many ways in the old law, as the substantial Sacraments of the new testament and proper to the legislator, namely, the incarnate Word.