er, according to 2
Cor. 13:13: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the charity of
God." Therefore it seems that the sacramental character should not be
attributed to Christ.

_On the contrary,_ Some define character thus: "A character is a
distinctive mark printed in a man's rational soul by the eternal
Character, whereby the created trinity is sealed with the likeness of
the creating and re-creating Trinity, and distinguishing him from
those who are not so enlikened, according to the state of faith." But
the eternal Character is Christ Himself, according to Heb. 1:3: "Who
being the brightness of His glory and the figure," or character, "of
His substance." It seems, therefore, that the character should
properly be attributed to Christ.

_I answer that,_ As has been made clear above (A. 1), a character is
properly a kind of seal, whereby something is marked, as being
ordained to some particular end: thus a coin is marked for use in
exchange of goods, and soldiers are marked with a character as being
deputed to military service. Now the faithful are deputed to a
twofold end. First and principally to the enjoyment of glory. And for
this purpose they are marked with the seal of grace according to
Ezech. 9:4: "Mark Thou upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and
mourn"; and Apoc. 7:3: "Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor the
trees, till we sign the servants of our God in their foreheads."

Secondly, each of the faithful is deputed to receive, or to bestow on
others, things pertaining to the worship of God. And this, properly
speaking, is the purpose of the sacramental character. Now the whole
rite of the Christian religion is derived from Christ's priesthood.
Consequently, it is clear that the sacramental character is specially
the character of Christ, to Whose character the faithful are likened
by reason of the sacramental characters, which are nothing else than
certain participations of Christ's Priesthood, flowing from Christ
Himself.

Reply Obj. 1: The Apostle speaks there of that sealing by which a man
is assigned to future glory, and which is effected by grace. Now
grace is attributed to the Holy Ghost, inasmuch as it is through love
that God gives us something gratis, which is the very nature of
grace: while the Holy Ghost is love. Wherefore it is written (1 Cor.
12:4): "There are diversities of graces, but the same Spirit."

Reply Obj. 2: The sacramental character is a thing as regards the
exterior sacra