THE NUMBER OF THE SACRAMENTS IS REASONABLE.
Since Christ is the universal cause of our salvation and of the spiritual
life by which we live to God; and since we understand spiritual things by
the likeness which they bear to such as are physical; we must distinguish
the Sacraments which are instituted for the spiritual life, by comparing
them with those things which are ordained for corporeal life.
Now, in physical life, we have: first, generation, whereby life is
acquired; secondly, development, whereby the body is perfected; thirdly,
nutrition, whereby it is preserved. Thus the vegetative life possesses
powers of generation, of growth, and of nutrition. But for the animal
nature, as sickness may attack it, nature provides fitting remedies; and
as generation cannot occur without a parent, some generating factor must
exist in the world.
Corresponding to these needs of the physical life, we have in the
spiritual life many Sacraments. Of these the first is Baptism, whereby
man is born again in Christ. The second is Confirmation, whereby grace
is increased within him, and he is rendered strong enough to endure
the trials, through which all must pass on their way to eternal life.
The third is the Blessed Eucharist, without which the spiritual life
of man would flag, as his body would faint without food. The fourth
is the Sacrament of Penance, whereby he recovers spiritual health,
and the wounds of his soul are healed. The fifth is Extreme Unction,
which heals the soul, and, (since bodily sickness is sometimes caused
by sin), in some cases restores health to the body; or, when recovery
from sickness is not expedient, it enables the soul to pass, more
devoutly and easily, to eternal life. The sixth Sacrament is that of
Holy Orders, which provides fathers for the spiritual life. Then, since
the spiritual life could not endure, were the human race to be extinct,
we have the Sacrament of Matrimony, which is the seventh Sacrament of
the Church. Thus we see, that, as in the physical order the propagators
of physical life may be regarded, either as the principles of the life
of their progeny, or as the rulers and superiors of their children, so
in the spiritual order, Christ has ordained seven Sacraments to be the
principles and the organisers of the spiritual life.
We see, then, how wisely, and how advisedly, Christ has instituted seven
Sacraments in His Church.