n 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.
_______________________

FOURTH ARTICLE [III, Q. 64, Art. 4]

Whether Christ Could Communicate to Ministers the Power Which He Had
in the Sacraments?

Objection 1: It seems that Christ could not communicate to ministers
the power which He had in the sacraments. For as Augustine argues
against Maximin, "if He could, but would not, He was jealous of His
power." But jealousy was far from Christ Who had the fulness of
charity. Since, therefore, Christ did not communicate His power to
ministers, it seems that He could not.

Obj. 2: Further, on John 14:12: "Greater than these shall he do,"
Augustine says (Tract. lxxii): "I affirm this to be altogether
greater," namely, for a man from being ungodly to be made righteous,
"than to create heaven and earth." But Christ could not communicate
to His disciples the power of creating heaven and earth: neither,
therefore, could He give them the power of making the ungodly to be
righteous. Since, therefore, the justification of the ungodly is
effected by the power that Christ has in the sacraments, it seems
that He could not communicate that power to ministers.

Obj. 3: Further, it belongs to Christ as Head of the Church that
grace should flow from Him to others, according to John 1:16: "Of His
fulness we all have received." But this could not be communicated to
others; since then the Church would be deformed, having many heads.
Therefore it seems that Christ could not communicate His power to
ministers.

_On the contrary,_ on John 1:31: "I knew Him not," Augustine says
(Tract. v) that "he did not know that our Lord having the authority
of baptizing . . . would keep it to Himself." But John would not have
been in ignorance o