1. About the Effect of Baptism Flowing Forth from the Principal Cause

147. As concerns God, who determines himself to cooperate with this sign through the effect signified, and who therein institutes this sign in idea of certain sign (as was said above, d. 1 nn.192-193) - there can in some way be a difference, in some way not.

148. For he made disposition to confer, as a matter of rule, some grace by this sign, such that he confer a lesser grace on no one; and this grace can be said to be conferred by virtue of baptism, because conferred by the truth of this sign; and just as, with respect to this degree [of grace], the universal determination is uniform, so is the effect equal.

149. However, because God has predestined diverse of the elect to diverse degrees of glory (and this before the determination of this sign for conferring in baptism such and such an amount of grace), and because a greater grace can rationally be conferred on someone ordered to greater glory - God could, in determining the truth or certitude of this sign, make disposition to confer on some recipient precisely the grace that is required for the certitude of the sign, and to confer a greater grace on someone whom he predestined to greater glory. But that nobler degree [of grace] would not be conferred by virtue of baptism but by a special divine benevolence.

150. Because of this, therefore, it can be said that the effect given by virtue of baptism on the part of the principal cause is equal, and also that as a matter of rule the effect by virtue of baptism is equal, because the supposition is that, by common law, the first grace is not given greater without any difference beyond the principal cause.