ritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink." But
Confirmation was not foreshadowed in the old Testament. Therefore it
is not a sacrament.

Obj. 3: Further, the sacraments are ordained unto man's salvation.
But man can be saved without Confirmation: since children that are
baptized, who die before being confirmed, are saved. Therefore
Confirmation is not a sacrament.

Obj. 4: Further, by all the sacraments of the Church, man is
conformed to Christ, Who is the Author of the sacraments. But man
cannot be conformed to Christ by Confirmation, since we read nowhere
of Christ being confirmed.

_On the contrary,_ Pope Melchiades wrote to the bishops of Spain:
"Concerning the point on which you sought to be informed, i.e.
whether the imposition of the bishop's hand were a greater sacrament
than Baptism, know that each is a great sacrament."

_I answer that,_ The sacraments of the New Law are ordained unto
special effects of grace: and therefore where there is a special
effect of grace, there we find a special sacrament ordained for the
purpose. But since sensible and material things bear a likeness to
things spiritual and intelligible, from what occurs in the life of
the body, we can perceive that which is special to the spiritual
life. Now it is evident that in the life of the body a certain
special perfection consists in man's attaining to the perfect age,
and being able to perform the perfect actions of a man: hence the
Apostle says (1 Cor. 13:11): "When I became a man, I put away the
things of a child." And thence it is that besides the movement of
generation whereby man receives life of the body, there is the
movement of growth, whereby man is brought to the perfect age. So
therefore does man receive spiritual life in Baptism, which is a
spiritual regeneration: while in Confirmation man arrives at the
perfect age, as it were, of the spiritual life. Hence Pope Melchiades
says: "The Holy Ghost, Who comes down on the waters of Baptism
bearing salvation in His flight, bestows at the font, the fulness of
innocence; but in Confirmation He confers an increase of grace. In
Baptism we are born again unto life; after Baptism we are
strengthened." And therefore it is evident that Confirmation is a
special sacrament.

Reply Obj. 1: Concerning the institution of this sacrament there are
three opinions. Some (Alexander of Hales, Summa Theol. P. IV, Q. IX;
St. Bonaventure, Sent. iv, D, 7) have maintained that this sacramen