PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 



643 



, liunc ill'ms montcm osse doclaramuR, ut In 



tldei ot morum, ad aediucationem doctrinal 



; mio portinontium, is pro vero sensu Sacrto 



..humlus Hit, quern tcnuit ac tenet Suncta 



MO, cujus est judiearo de vero sensu et 



no Script ururum sanctorum; atque ideo 



ro contra huno Hcnsuin, aut ctiam contra 



uiiimirnem oonsfiisuin 1'utrum ipsutn Bcriptunim Su- 



crain iriterpretari. 



restless spirits, arc explained by some In a wrong 

 sense ; we, renewing the flame decree, declare thin to 

 be the mind of the synod, that, in matters of fuith 

 and morals which pertuin to the edification of Chris- 

 tian doctrine, that is to be held M the true seme of 

 the sacred Scripture which holy Mother Church, to 

 whom it belongs to judge of the true sense and in- 

 terpretation of the sacred Scriptures, has held and 

 holds ; and therefore that no one may interpret the 

 Bocred Scripture contrary to this sense, or contrary 

 to the unanimous consent of the fathers. 



CAPUT III. 



M: Kii-i:. 



Qiium homo a Deo tunc|uam Croatoro et Domino 



suo totus .li'ix 'ii'lL-nt, et ratio creata increutro verititi 



;s subjecta sit, plenum rovulanti Deo intellcctus 



itntis obsequium fide pnp*turo tenemur. llano 



vero fldetn, quio numante tmlutis initium est, Eccle- 



Bia catholica profitetur, virtutcm csse supernaturalem, 



quo, Dei aspirante ct adjuvante gratia, ab eo revelata 



vera ease credimus, non propter intrinsccam rerum 



vorittitem natural! ratioms luinino perspcctam sed 



r auetorit;item ipsiua Dei revelantis, qui neo 



IJilli noc 1'ullcro potest. Est enim fides, testanto 



Apostolo, speranitiiruiu substuntia rcrum, argumen- 



turn uon apparentiurn.* 



Ut nihilominus fldei nostrao obscquium ration! con- 

 Bentaneum esset, voluit Deus cum internis Spiritus 

 Sancti auxiliis externa Jungi revelotionis sure argu- 

 menta, facta scilicet divina atque imprimis miracula 

 et prophetias, quse cum Dei omnipotentiam et inflni- 

 tam scientiam luculenter commonstrent, divinte reve- 

 lationis signa sunt certissima et omnium intelligentiro 

 accommoaata. Quare turn Moyses et prophette turn 

 ipso maxime Christus Dpminus multa et manifcstis- 

 suna miracula et pro'phetias ediderunt ; et de Aposto- 

 lis Ic.'imus : Illi autcm profecti prsedicaverunt ubique 

 ]>timiu<> conpevante, et sermonem confirmante. se- 

 quentibus eignis. f Et rursum scriptum est : Habe- 

 mus firmiorem propheticum Bermoncm, cui bone 

 facitas uttendentes quasi luoenti in caliginoso loco. J 



Licet antcm fidci asscnsus ncquaquam sit motus 

 animi coecus: nemo tamen evangelic* pnedicationi 

 c.'HiM-iitire noteat, sicut oportct od salutem conse- 

 quendam, abscjue illuminationo et inspiratione Spiri- 

 tus Sancti, qui dat omnibus suavitatem in consen- 

 tiendo et credendo veritati.g Quare fides ipsa in se, 

 r; i.iiusi per charitatem non operetur, donum Dei ost, 

 :* ejus est opus ad salutem pertincns, quo homo 

 lil>ernin pracstat ipsi Deo obedientiam, gratire ejus, 

 cui resistere posset, consentiendo et cooperando. 



Porro fide divina et cntholica ea omnia credenda 

 sunt, quis in verbo Dei scripto vel traditio continen- 

 tur, et ab Ecclesia sive solemni judicu^ sive ordinario 

 et universali magisterio tanquam divinitus revelata 

 credeuda proponuntur. 



Qnoniam vero sine fide impossibile est placero Deo, 

 et ad nliorum ojus consortium pcrvenire ; idco ncmi- 

 ni unquam sine ilia contigit justificatio, neo ullus, 

 nisi in ea perseveraverit usque in flnem, vitam eeter- 

 nam assequetur. Ut autom offieio vcnun fidem uni- 

 plectendi, in eaque constant^r pcrscverandi satisfa- 

 cere poasemus, Deus per Filium suum unigenitum 

 Ecclesiam instituit suaeque institutionis manitcstis 

 iiotis instruxit. ut ea tamquam custos et magistra 

 verbi revelati ab omnibus posset agnosci. Ad solam 

 enim catliolicam Ecclesiam ea pertinent omnia, qute 

 a>l cvidentum fidei Christianas credibilitatem tarn 

 multa et tain mira divinitus sunt disposita. Quin 



CHAPTER III. 



OH FAITH. 



Forasmuch as man totally depends on God as his 

 Creator and Lord, and created reason is wholly sub- 

 ject to the uncreated truth, therefore we are bound, 

 when God makes a revelation, to render to Him the 

 full obedience of our understanding and will, by 

 faith. And this faith, which is the beginning of 

 man's salvation, the Church declares to be a super- 

 natural virtue, whereby, under the inspiration and 

 aid of God's grace, we believe to be true the things 

 revealed by Him, not for their intrinsic truth seen 

 by the natural light of reason, but for the authority 

 of God revealing them, who can neither deceive nor 

 bo deceived. For faith, a the apostle witnesseth, is 

 the substance of things to be hoped for, the evidence 

 of things that appear not.* 



To the end, nevertheless, that the obedience of 

 our faith might be agreeable to reason, God willed to 

 join unto the interior grace of the Holy Spirit, ex- 

 ternal proofs of His revelation, to wit, divine works 

 and chiefly miracles and prophecies, which, as they 

 manifestly show forth the omnipotence and the infi- 

 nite knowledge of God, are proofs most certain of 

 divine revelation, and suited to the understanding 

 of all. Wherefore both Moses and the prophets, and, 

 above all, Christ our Lord Himself, wrought many 

 and most evident .miracles, and uttered prophecies ; 

 and of the apostles we read : u But they going forth 

 preached everywhere : the Lord working withal, and 

 confirming the word with signs that followed." t 

 And again it is written : " We have the more firm 

 prophetical word ; whercunto you do well to attend, 

 as to a light that shineth in a dark place." t 



Yet, although the assent of faith is not by any 

 means a blind movement of the mind ; nevertheless 

 no one can believe the preaching of the Gospel in 

 such wise as behooveth to salvation without the light 

 and inspiration of the Holy Ghost, who giveth unto 

 all sweetness in yielding to the truth and believing 

 it. Wherefore'faith in itself, even though it be not 

 working by charity, is a gift of God ; ana an act of 

 faith is a work tending to salvation, whereby man 

 renders free obedience to God Himself, consenting 

 to and cooperating with His grace, which He hatS 

 power to resist. 



Now, all those things are to be believed of divine 

 and Catholic faith which are contained in the word 

 of God, whether written or handed down by tradi- 

 tion ; and which the Church, either by solemn decree 

 or by her ordinary and universal teaching, proposes 

 for belief as revealed by God. 



And whereas without faith it is impossible to 

 please God, and to come to the fellowship of His 

 children, therefore hath no one at any time been jus- 

 tified without faith ; nor shall any one, unless he 

 persevere therein unto the end, attain everlasting 

 life. And in order that we might be able to fulfil 

 our duty of embracing the true faith, and of stead- 

 fastly persevering therein, God, through His only- 

 begotten Son, did establish the Church and place 

 upon her manifest marks of His institution, that all 

 men might bo able to recognize her as the guardian 

 and teacher of His revealed word. For only to the 

 Catholic Church do all those signs belong, which 



* Hebr. xi. 1. 

 t M;irc. xvi. x>0. 



2 Petr. i. 19. 



Syn. Arus. ii. can. 7. 



* Heb. xl. 1. 



t Mark xvi. 20. 



2 Pet. 1. 19. 



S 2 Council of Orange, Can. 7. 



