l effect.

Obj. 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" (Luke 7:48). Therefore it seems that
Christ, as man, produces the inward sacramental effect.

Obj. 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 (Q. 48, AA. 1, 6; Q. 49, A. 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 (Q. 13, AA. 2, 3; Q. 19,
A. 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 (A. 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 (Q. 62, A. 5). And because the power of
the Passion is communicated to us by faith, according to Rom. 3:25:
"Whom God hath proposed to be a propitiatio