I. To the Question

389. I reply:

At no time did God leave his worshippers without remedy necessary for salvation. But at every time after the fall the deletion of original sin was necessary for salvation. Therefore at any time there was some efficacious remedy for deleting original sin.

390. Now although it could be deleted in adults by a good interior movement, yet in children (in whom such a movement was impossible) it could not be deleted by their own act; therefore it was deleted by some act of others that was in reference to them or about them. But no one could be certain what act of another in reference to a child would suffice for him, namely for the child’s salvation, unless it was instituted by God. For no one can be certain that he attains salvation through something unless he is certain that God accepts it as sufficient for such a goal.

391. Since therefore God provides not only his adult worshippers with a remedy necessary for salvation but also their children (and this with a remedy of which the parents on behalf of their children could be certain), it follows that for the time of the law of nature God instituted some sign certain and efficacious for deletion of original sin.

392. And it is more probable that it was a sensible sign than only an intelligible one, because for the whole state of fallen nature sensible signs of spiritual realities are suited to man. Therefore it is reasonable that some sacrament, at least against original sin, existed in the time of natural law. But if there was some other sacrament at that time, as matrimony or something corresponding to another sacrament of the New Law, discussion of it will be given below in the treatment of those sacraments.