Instruction concerning penance and holy communion the second part fo the instruction of youth, containing the means how we may return to God by penance, and remain in his grace by the good and frequent use of the sacraments. By Charles Gobinet, Doctor of Divinity, of the house and Society of Sorbon, principal of the college of Plessis-Sorbon.

ARTICLE IV. What are we obliged to believe concerning the Sacraments?

I Believe the Remission of Sins. We are obliged to believe what the Church hath always taught concerning the Sacraments, viz. First, that they are the means instituted by God, thereby either to confer his Grace upon us, or to augment, what we have already received, or to restore what we had lost, as it is expressed in the Coun∣cill of Trent, Sess. 7. Proaem.

Secondly, that a Sacrament may be rightly de∣fined in this manner; a Visible signe of invisible grace instituted by God for our sanctification.

3. That this Visible sign consists, and is, as it

were composed of two parts, viz. the sensible thing, which is applyed in the Sacrament, as water in Baptism: and the words which are pronounced, as in the same Beptism these words. I baptize thee &c. according to that received doctrine delivered by St. Augustin, Accedit verbum ad Elementum & fit Sacramentum. By the joyning of the words with the Element, or Material thing, the Sacrament be∣comes compleat. One of these two parts is called the matter, the other the form of the Sacrament.

4. That the Sacrament being applyed by a lawfull Minister, either gives or augments Sancti∣fying Grace in the Soul of the worthy receiver.

5. That there are Seven Sacraments: viz. Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Order, Matrimony.

Baptism makes us the Children of Jesus Christ, Washing us from the Stains of Original sin, and enlivening our Soul with the Life of Grace, whence St. Paul calls Baptism, Tit. 3.5. the laver of regeneration, and the renovation of the Holy Ghost.

Confirmation strengthens us, and conserves, and confirms us in the faith we received in Baptism.

The Holy Eucharist is the nourishment of the Soul, for as by Meat and Drink our decayed Spirits are revived; so by the use of the Blessed Sacrament those damages, which Charity dayly suffers from humane frailty are repaired.

Penance restores us to the Grace of God, which we had lost by sin.

Extreme Unction gives us strength at the hour of death, that we may be the better able to fight against our Ghostly Enemy in that last Moment, upon which Eternily depends; it is a remedy a∣gainst

Spirituall weakness contracted by our for∣mer Sins.

Order consecrates the Ministers of Christ, and gives them power to conferr the Sacraments.

Matrimony sanctifies the contract betwixt man and woman, and gives them grace to comply with the obligations which they draw upon themselves by that indissoluble Bond instituted by God for the propagation of Mankind; and raised to the dignity of a Sacrament by our Sa∣viour Christ.

Altho' all or every one of the Sacraments do cause sanctifying grace, yet they do not every one produce it in the same manner; for there are two, viz. Baptism and Penance, in∣stituted for the remission of Sins, which conferr it upon those, whom they find void of grace; from whence it is that they are called the Sacraments of the dead; that is to say of those, who are dead in the sight of God in the state of Mortal Sin, whom they raise up from that death to the life of grace; whereas all the rest are called the Sacraments of the living, in as much, as they en∣crease the grace they find precedently in the Soul; and to receive any one of these worthily it is necessary that we be in the state of grace.

The Soul by each Sacrament is not only sancti∣fied by habitual, but also endowed with actual grace, that is, with a vigour and strength to∣wards the compassing of those particular effects, for which it was first instituted and ordained.

Moreover there are three, which imprint a character in the Soul; Baptism, Confirmation, and Order: this Character is a Spiritual Mark or Seal which God makes in his Soul, who receives

any of these three Sacraments; which impressi∣on, because it can never be rased out, none of these three Sacraments can be reiterated, or recei∣ved the second time by the same Person without a Sacrilege.