_ordinance_; viewed as an established custom, it is a _rite_. The terms
_sacrament_ and _ordinance_, in the religious sense, are often used
interchangeably; the _ordinance_ derives its sacredness from the
authority that ordained it, while the _sacrament_ possesses a sacredness
due to something in itself, even when viewed simply as a representation
or memorial. The Lord's Supper is the Scriptural name for the
_observance_ commemorating the death of Christ; the word _communion_ is
once applied to it (_1 Cor._ x, 16), but not as a distinctive name; at
an early period, however, the name _communion_ was so applied, as
denoting the communing of Christians with their Lord, or with one
another. The term _eucharist_ describes the Lord's Supper as a
thanksgiving _service_; it is also called by preeminence _the
sacrament_, as the ratifying of a solemn vow of consecration to Christ.
* * * * *
SAGACIOUS.
Synonyms:
able, intelligent, perspicacious, sensible,
acute, keen, quick of scent, sharp,
apt, keen-sighted, quick-scented, sharp-witted,
clear-sighted, keen-witted, rational, shrewd,
discerning, judicious, sage, wise.
_Sagacious_ refers to a power of tracing the hidden or recondite by
slight indications, as by instinct or intuition; it is not now applied
to mere keenness of sense-perception. We do not call a hound _sagacious_
in following a clear trail; but if he loses the scent, as at the edge of
a stream, and circles around till he strikes it again, his conduct is
said to be _sagacious_. In human affairs _sagacious_ refers to a power
of ready, far-reaching, and accurate inference from observed facts
perhaps in themselves very slight, that seems like a special sense; or
to a similar readiness to foresee the results of any action, especially
upon human motives or conduct--a kind of prophetic common sense.
_Sagacious_ is a broader and nobler word than _shrewd_, and not capable
of the invidious sense which the latter word often bears; on the other
hand, _sagacious_ is less lofty and comprehensive than _wise_ in its
full sense, and more limited to matters of direct practical moment.
Compare ASTUTE; WISDOM.
Antonyms:
absurd, futile, obtuse, silly, sottish, undiscerning,
dull, ignorant, senseless, simple, stupid, unintelligent.
foolish, irrational,
* * *
|