This Missal, from the house of the Messrs. Benziger Brothers, is printed in good, clear type, pleasant to the eye; contains the last new masses enjoined by the Sacred Congregation of Rites, and is illustrated with excellent full-page engravings. It is besides, as a book, both serviceable and cheap.

The Catholic Publication Society has in press, and will publish, May twenty-fifth, a work by James Kent Stone, D.D., late President of Kenyon and Hobart Colleges, entitled, The Invitation Heeded: Reasons for a Return to Catholic Unity. As the title implies, Mr. Stone will, in this volume, give his reasons for becoming a Catholic.

Messrs. John Murphy & Co. announce as in press, The Paradise of the Earth; or, the True Means of Finding Happiness in the Religious State, according to the Rules of the Masters of Spiritual Life. Translated from the French of L'Abbé Sanson, by the Rev. F. Ignatius Sisk, of the Cistercian Community, Mount St. Bernard's Abbey. Also, Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. From the Italian of Secundo Franco, S.J.

[A DOGMATIC DECREE ON CATHOLIC FAITH.]
CONFIRMED AND PROMULGATED IN THE THIRD PUBLIC SESSION OF THE VATICAN COUNCIL, HELD IN ST. PETER'S, ROME, ON LOW-SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 1870.

CONSTITVTIO DOGMATICA DE FIDE CATHOLICA.

[This translation has been carefully revised for The Catholic World by some of the bishops attending the council.]
PIVS EPISCOPVS SERVVS SERVORVM DEI SACRO APPROBANTE CONCILIO AD PERPETVAM REI MEMORIAM.Pius, bishop, servant of the servants of god, with the approbation of the holy council, for a perpetual remembrance hereof.
Dei Filius et generis humani Redemptor Dominus Noster Iesus Christus, ad Patrem coelestem rediturus, cum Ecclesia sua in terris militante, omnibus diebus usque ad consummationem saeculi futurum se esse promisit. Quare dilectae sponsae praesto esse, adsistere docenti, operanti benedicere, periclitanti opem ferre nullo unquam tempore destitit. Haec vero salutaris eius providentia, cum ex aliis beneficiis innumeris continenter apparuit, tum iis manifestissime comperta est fructibus, qui orbi christiano e Conciliis oecumenicis ac nominatim e Tridentino, iniquis licet temporibus celebrato, amplissimi provenerunt. Hinc enim sanctissima religionis dogmata pressius definita uberiusque exposita, errores damnati atque cohibiti; hinc ecclesiastica disciplina restituta firmiusque sancita, promotum in Clero scientiae et pietatis studium, parata adolescentibus ad sacram militiam educandis collegia, christiani denique populi mores et accuratiore fidelium eruditione et frequentiore sacramentorum usu instaurati. Hinc praeterea arctior membrorum cum visibili Capite communio, universoque corpori Christi mystico additus vigor; hinc religiosae multiplicatae familiae, aliaque christianae pietatis instituta; hinc ille etiam assiduus et usque ad sanguinis effusionem constans ardor in Christi regno late per orbem propagando. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Redeemer of mankind, when about to return to his heavenly Father, promised that he would be with his church, militant on earth, all days even to the consummation of the world. Wherefore, he has never at any time failed to be with his beloved spouse, to assist her in her teaching, to bless her in her labors, to aid her in danger. And this his saving providence, unceasingly displayed in countless other blessings, is most clearly made manifest by those very abundant fruits which have come to the Christian world from œcumenical councils, and especially from that of Trent, although it was held in evil days. For thereby the holy doctrines of religion were more distinctly defined and more fully set forth; errors were condemned and restrained; thereby ecclesiastical discipline was restored and more firmly established; zeal for learning and piety was promoted among the clergy; and colleges were provided for the training of young men for the sacred ministry; and finally the practice of Christian morality was restored among the people by more careful instruction and a more frequent use of the sacraments. Hence arose, likewise, a closer union of the members with the visible head, and renewed strength to the entire mystical body of Christ; hence the increased number of religious communities, and of other institutions of Christian piety; hence, also, that unceasing zeal, constant even to martyrdom, to spread the kingdom of Christ throughout the world.
Verumtamen haec aliaque insignia emolumenta, quae per ultimam maxime oecumenicam Synodum divina clementia Ecclesiae largita est, dum grato, quo par est, animo recolimus; acerbum compescere haud possumus dolorem ob mala gravissima, inde potissimum orta, quod eiusdem sacrosanctae Synodi apud permultos vel auctoritas contempta, vel sapientissima neglecta fuere decreta. Nevertheless, while with becoming gratitude we call to mind these and the many other remarkable benefits which the goodness of God has bestowed on the church chiefly through the last œcumenical council, we cannot suppress our bitter sorrow for the grievous evils which have chiefly sprung from many having despised the authority of the aforesaid sacred council, or having neglected to observe its most wise decrees.
Nemo enim ignorat, haereses, quas Tridentini Patres proscripserunt, dum, reiecto divino Ecclesiae magisterio, res ad religionem spectantes privati cuiusvis iudicio permitterentur, in sectas paullatim dissolutas esse multiplices, quibus inter se dissentientibus et concertantibus, omnis tandem in Christum fides apud non paucos labefactata est. Itaque ipsa sacra Biblia, quae antea christianae doctrinae unicus fons et iudex asserebantur, iam non pro divinis haberi, imo mythicis commentis accenseri coeperunt. For it is known to all that the heresies which the fathers of Trent condemned, and which rejected the divine authority of the church to teach, and instead, subjected all things belonging to religion to the judgment of each individual, were, in course of time, broken up into many sects; and that, as these differed and disputed with each other, it came to pass, at length, that all belief in Christ was overthrown in the minds of not a few. And so, the sacred Scriptures themselves, which they had at first held up as the only source and judge of Christian doctrine, were no longer held as divine, but, on the contrary, began to be counted among myths and fables.
Tum nata est et late nimis per orbem vagata illa rationalismi seu naturalismi doctrina, quae religioni christianae utpote supernaturali instituto per omnia adversans, summo studio molitur, ut Christo, qui solus Dominus et Salvator noster est, a mentibus humanis, a vita et moribus populorum excluso, merae quod vocant rationis vel naturae regnum stabiliatur. Relicta autem proiectaque christiana religione, negato vero Deo et Christo eius, prolapsa tandem est multorum mens in pantheismi, materialismi, atheismi barathrum, ut iam ipsam rationalem naturam, omnemque iusti rectique normam negantes, ima humanae societatis fundamenta diruere connitantur. Then arose and spread too widely through the world that doctrine of rationalism or naturalism, which, attacking Christianity at every point as being a supernatural institution, labors with all its might to exclude Christ, who is our only Lord and Saviour, from the minds of men and from the life and the morals of nations; and so to establish, instead, the reign of mere reason, as they call it, or of nature. And thus, having forsaken and cast away the Christian religion, having denied the true God and his Christ, the minds of many have at last fallen into the abyss of pantheism, materialism, and atheism; so that now repudiating the reasoning nature of man, and every rule of right and wrong, they are laboring to overthrow the very foundations of human society.
Hac porro impietate circumquaque grassante, infeliciter contigit, ut plures etiam e catholicae Ecclesiae filiis a via verae pietatis aberrarent, in iisque, diminutis paullatim veritatibus, sensus catholicus attenuaretur. Variis enim ac peregrinis doctrinis abducti, naturam et gratiam, scientiam humanam et fidem divinam perperam commiscentes, genuinum sensum dogmatum, quem tenet ac docet Sancta Mater Ecclesia, depravare, integritatemque et sinceritatem fidei in periculum adducere comperiuntur. Moreover, as this impious doctrine is spreading everywhere, it has unfortunately come to pass that not a few even of the children of the Catholic Church have wandered from the way of true piety; and as the truth gradually decayed in their minds, the catholic sentiment grew fainter in them. For, being led away by various and strange doctrines, and wrongly confounding nature and grace, human science and divine faith, they have perverted the true sense of the doctrines which our holy mother the church holds and teaches, and have endangered the integrity and the purity of faith.
Quibus omnibus perspectis, fieri qui potest, ut non commoveantur intima Ecclesiae viscera? Quemadmodum enim Deus vult omnes homines salvos fieri, et ad agnitionem veritatis venire; quemadmodum Christus venit, ut salvum faceret, quod perierat, et filios Dei, qui erant dispersi, congregaret in unum: ita Ecclesia, a Deo populorum mater et magistra constituta, omnibus debitricem se novit, ac lapsos erigere, labantes sustinere, revertentes amplecti, confirmare bonos et ad meliora provehere parata semper et intenta est. Quapropter nullo tempore a Dei veritate, quae sanat omnia, testanda et praedicanda quiescere potest, sibi dictum esse non ignorans: Spiritus meus, qui est in te, et verba mea, quae posui in ore tuo, non recedent de ore tuo amodo et usque in sempiternum.[140] Now, looking at all these things, how can the church fail to be moved in her innermost heart? For inasmuch as God wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, inasmuch as Christ came to save that which was lost, and to gather together in one the children of God that were dispersed; so the church, established by God as the mother and mistress of nations, feels that she is a debtor unto all, and is ever ready and earnest to raise up the fallen, to strengthen the weak, to take to her bosom those that return, and to confirm the good, and carry them on to better things. Wherefore, at no time can she abstain from bearing witness to and preaching the all-healing truth of God; knowing that it has been said to her, "My spirit that is in thee, and my words that I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, from henceforth and for ever." (Isa. lix. 21.)
Nos itaque, inhaerentes Praedecessorum Nostrorum vestigiis, pro supremo Nostro Apostolico munere veritatem catholicam docere ac tueri, perversasque doctrinas reprobare nunquam intermisimus. Nunc autem sedentibus Nobiscum et iudicantibus universi orbis Episcopis, in hanc oecumenicam Synodum auctoritate Nostra in Spiritu Sancto congregatis, innixi Dei verbo scripto et tradito, prout ab Ecclesia catholica sancte custoditum et genuine expositum accepimus, ex hac Petri Cathedra in conspectu omnium salutarem Christi doctrinam profiteri et declarare constituimus, adversis erroribus potestate nobis a Deo tradita proscriptis atque damnatis. Wherefore, following in the footsteps of our predecessors, and in fulfilment of our supreme apostolic duty, we have never omitted to teach and to protect the catholic truth, and to reprove perverse teachings. And now, the bishops of the whole world being gathered together in this œcumenical council by our authority, and in the Holy Ghost, and sitting therein and judging with us, we, guided by the word of God, both written and handed down by tradition, as we have received it, sacredly preserved and truly set forth by the Catholic Church, have determined to profess and declare from this chair of Peter, and in the sight of all, the saving doctrine of Christ; and in the power given to us from God to proscribe and condemn the opposing errors.
CAPUT I.
DE DEO RERUM OMNIUM CREATORE. 		CHAPTER I.
OF GOD THE CREATOR OF ALL THINGS.
Sancta Catholica Apostolica Romana Ecclesia credit et confitetur, unum esse Deum verum et vivum, Creatorem ac Dominum coeli et terrae, omnipotentem, aeternum, immensum, incomprehensibilem, intellectu ac voluntate omnique perfectione infinitum; qui cum sit una singularis, simplex omnino et incommutabilis substantia spiritualis, praedicandus est re et essentia a mundo distinctus, in se et ex se beatissimus, et super omnia, quae praeter ipsum sunt et concipi possunt, ineffabiliter excelsus. The holy, Catholic, Apostolic, Roman Church believes and confesses that there is one true and living God, Creator and Lord of heaven and earth, almighty, eternal, immense, incomprehensible, infinite in understanding and will and in all perfection; who, being a spiritual substance, one, single, absolutely simple and unchangeable, must be held to be, in reality and in essence, distinct from the world, in himself and of himself perfectly happy, and unspeakably exalted above all things that are or can be conceived besides himself.
Hic solus verus Deus bonitate sua et omnipotenti virtute non ad augendam suam beatitudinem, nec ad acquirendam, sed ad manifestandam perfectionem suam per bona, quae creaturis impertitur, liberrimo consilio simul ab initio temporis utramque de nihilo condidit creaturam, spiritualem et corporalem, angelicam videlicet et mundanam, ac deinde humanam quasi communem ex spiritu et corpore constitutam[141].
Universa vero, quae condidit, Deus providentia sua tuetur atque gubernat, attingens a fine usque ad finem fortiter, et disponens omnia suaviter[142]. Omnia enim nuda et aperta sunt oculis eius[143], ea etiam, quae libera creaturarum actione futura sunt. 		This one only true God, of his own goodness and almighty power, not to increase his own happiness, nor to acquire for himself perfection, but in order to manifest the same by means of the good things which he imparts to creatures, did, of his own most free counsel, "from the beginning of time make alike out of nothing two created natures, a spiritual one and a corporeal one, the angelic, to wit, and the earthly; and afterward he made the human nature, as partaking of both, being composed of spirit and body." (Fourth Lateran Council, ch. I. Firmiter.) Moreover, God, by his providence, protects and governs all things which he has made, reaching from end to end mightily, and ordering all things sweetly. (Wisdom viii. 1.) For all things are naked and open to his eyes, (Heb. iv. 13,) even those which are to come to pass by the free action of creatures.
CAPUT II.
DE REVELATIONE. 		CHAPTER II.
OF REVELATION.
Eadem Sancta Mater Ecclesia tenet et docet, Deum, rerum omnium principium et finem, naturali humanae rationis lumine e rebus creatis certo cognosci posse; invisibilia enim ipsius, a creatura mundi, per ea quae facta sunt, intellecta, conspiciuntur[144]: attamen placuisse, eius sapientiae et bonitati, alia, eaque supernaturali via se ipsum ac aeterna voluntatis suae decreta humano generi revelare, dicente Apostolo: Multifariam, multisque modis olim Deus loquens patribus in Prophetis: novissime, diebus istis locutus est nobis in Filio[145].
Huic divinae revelationi tribuendum quidem est, ut ea, quae in rebus divinis humanae rationi per se impervia non sunt, in praesenti quoque generis humani conditione ab omnibus expedite, firma certitudine et nullo admixto errore cognosci possint. Non hac tamen de causa revelatio absolute necessaria dicenda est, sed quia Deus ex infinita bonitate sua ordinavit hominem ad finem supernaturalem, ad participanda scilicet bona divina, quae humanae mentis intelligentiam omnino superant; siquidem oculus non vidit, nec auris audivit, nec in cor hominis ascendit, quae praeparavit Deus iis, qui diligunt ilium.[146] 		The same holy Mother Church holds and teaches that God, the beginning and end of all things, can be known with certainty through created things, by the natural light of human reason; "for the invisible things of him, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made," (Romans i. 20;) but that nevertheless it has pleased his wisdom and goodness to reveal to mankind, by another and that a supernatural way, himself and the eternal decrees of his will; even as the apostle says, "God who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke, in times past, to the fathers by the prophets, last of all, in these days hath spoken to us by his Son." (Heb. i. 1, 2.) To this divine revelation is it to be ascribed that things regarding God, which are not of themselves beyond the grasp of human reason, may, even in the present condition of the human race, be known by all, readily, with full certainty and without any admixture of error. Yet not on this account is revelation absolutely necessary, but because God, of his infinite goodness, has ordained man for a supernatural end, for the participation, that is, of divine goods, which altogether surpass the understanding of the human mind; for "eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love him." (1 Cor. ii. 9.)
Haec porro supernaturalis revelatio, secundum universalis Ecclesiae fidem, a sancta Tridentina Synodo declaratam, continetur in libris scriptis et sine scripto traditionibus, quae ipsius Christi ore ab Apostolis acceptae, aut ab ipsis Apostolis Spiritu Sancto dictante quasi per manus traditae, ad nos usque pervenerunt.[147] Qui quidem veteris et novi Testamenti libri integri cum omnibus suis partibus, prout in eiusdem Concilii decreto recensentur, et in veteri vulgata latina editione habentur, pro sacris et canonicis suscipiendi sunt. Eos vero Ecclesia pro sacris et canonicis habet, non ideo quod sola humana industria concinnati, sua deinde auctoritate sint approbati; nec ideo dumtaxat, quod revelationem sine errore contineant; sed propterea quod Spiritu Sancto inspirante conscripti Deum habent auctorem, atque ut tales ipsi Ecclesiae traditi sunt. Now, this supernatural revelation, according to the belief of the universal church, as declared by the holy Council of Trent, is contained in the written books and in the unwritten traditions which have come to us as received orally from Christ himself by the apostles, or handed down from the apostles taught by the Holy Ghost. (Council of Trent. Session iv. Decree on the Canon of Scripture.) And these books of the Old and New Testament are to be received as sacred and canonical, in their integrity and with all their parts, as they are enumerated in the decree of the same council, and are had in the old Vulgate Latin edition. But the church does hold them as sacred and canonical, not for the reason that they have been compiled by human industry alone, and afterward approved by her authority; nor only because they contain revelation without error, but because, having been written under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, they have God for their author, and as such have been delivered to the church herself.
Quoniam vero, quae sancta Tridentina Synodus de interpretatione divinae Scripturae ad coërcenda petulantia ingenia salubriter decrevit, a quibusdam hominibus prave exponuntur, Nos, idem decretum renovantes, hanc illius mentem esse declaramus, ut in rebus fidei et morum, ad aedificationem doctrinae Christianae pertinentium, is pro vero sensu sacrae Scripturae habendus sit, quem tenuit ac tenet Sancta Mater Ecclesia, cuius est iudicare de vero sensu et interpretatione Scripturarum sanctarum; atque ideo nemini licere contra hunc sensum, aut etiam contra unanimem consensum Patrum ipsam Scripturam sacram interpretari. And since those things which the Council of Trent has declared by wholesome decrees concerning the interpretation of divine Scripture, in order to restrain restless spirits, are explained by some in a wrong sense; we, renewing the same decree, declare this to be the mind of the synod, that, in matters of faith and morals which pertain to the edification of Christian doctrine, that is to be held as the true sense of the sacred Scripture which holy mother church, to whom it belongs to judge of the true sense and interpretation of the sacred Scriptures, has held and holds; and therefore that no one may interpret the sacred Scripture contrary to this sense, or contrary to the unanimous consent of the fathers.
CAPUT III.
DE FIDE. 		CHAPTER III.
OF FAITH.
Quum homo a Deo tanquam Creatore et Domino suo totus dependeat, et ratio creata increatae Veritati penitus subiecta sit, plenum revelanti Deo intellectus et voluntatis obsequium fide praestare tenemur. Hanc vero fidem, quae humanae salutis initium est, Ecclesia catholica profitetur, virtutem esse supernaturalem, qua, Dei aspirante et adiuvante gratia, ab eo revelata vera esse credimus, non propter intrinsecam rerum veritatem naturali rationis lumine perspectam, sed propter auctoritatem ipsius Dei revelantis, qui nec falli nec fallere potest. Est enim fides, testante Apostolo, sperandarum substantia rerum, argumentum non apparentium.[148] Forasmuch as man totally depends on God as his Creator and Lord, and created reason is wholly subject 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 supernatural 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 be deceived. For faith, as the apostle witnesseth, is the substance of things to be hoped for, the evidence of things that appear not. (Heb. xi. 1.)
Ut nihilominus fidei nostrae obsequium rationi consentaneum esset, voluit Deus cum internis Spiritus Sancti auxiliis externa iungi revelationis suae argumenta, facta scilicet divina, atque imprimis miracula et prophetias, quae cum Dei omnipotentiam et infinitam scientiam luculenter commonstrent, divinae revelationis signa sunt certissima et omnium intelligentiae accommodata. Quare turn Moyses et Prophetae, tum ipse maxime Christus Dominus multa et manifestissima miracula et prophetias ediderunt; et de Apostolis legimus: Illi autem profecti praedicaverunt ubique, Domino co-operante, et sermonem confirmante, sequentibus signis.[149] Et rursum scriptum est: Habemus firmiorem propheticum sermonem, cui bene facitis attendentes quasi lucernae lucenti in caliginoso loco.[150] 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 external proofs of his revelation, to wit, divine works, and chiefly miracles and prophecies, which, as they manifestly show forth the omnipotence and the infinite 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, "But they going forth preached everywhere: the Lord working withal, and confirming the word with signs that followed." (Mark xvi. 20.) And again it is written, "We have the more firm prophetical word; whereunto you do well to attend, as to a light that shineth in a dark place." (2 Pet. i. 19.)
Licet autem fidei assensus nequaquam sit motus animi caecus: nemo tamen evangelicae praedicationi consentire potest, sicut oportet ad salutem consequendam, absque illuminatione et inspiratione Spiritus Sancti, qui dat omnibus suavitatem in consentiendo et credendo veritati.[151] Quare fides ipsa in se, etiamsi per charitatem non operetur, donum Dei est, et actus eius est opus ad salutem pertinens, quo homo liberam praestat ipsi Deo obedientiam, gratiae eius, cui resistere posset, consentiendo et coöperando. 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 behoveth to salvation without the light and inspiration of the Holy Ghost, who giveth unto all sweetness in yielding to the truth and believing it. (2 Council of Orange, Can. 7.) Wherefore faith in itself, even though it be not working by charity, is a gift of God; and an act of faith is a work tending to salvation, whereby man renders free obedience to God himself, consenting to and coöperating with his grace, which he hath power to resist.
Porro fide divina et catholica ea omnia credenda sunt, quae in verbo Dei scripto vel tradito continentur, et ab Ecclesia sive solemni iudicio sive ordinario et universali magisterio tamquam divinitus revelata credenda proponuntur. 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 tradition; and which the church, either by solemn decree or by her ordinary and universal teaching, proposes for belief as revealed by God.
Quoniam vero sine fide impossibile est placere Deo, et ad filiorum eius consortium pervenire; ideo nemini unquam sine illa contigit iustificatio, nec ullus, nisi in ea perseveraverit usque in finem, vitam aeternam assequetur. Ut autem officio veram fidem amplectendi, in eaque constanter perseverandi satisfacere possemus, Deus per Filium suum unigenitum Ecclesiam instituit, suaeque institutionis manifestis notis instruxit, ut ea tamquam custos et magistra verbi revelati ab omnibus posset agnosci. Ad solam enim catholicam Ecclesiam ea pertinent omnia, quae ad evidentem fidei christianae credibilitatem tam multa et tam mira divinitus sunt disposita. Quin etiam Ecclesia per se ipsa, ob suam nempe admirabilem propagationem, eximiam sanctitatem et inexhaustam in omnibus bonis foecunditatem, ob catholicam unitatem, invictamque stabilitatem, magnum quoddam et perpetuum est motivum credibilitatis et divinae suae legationis testimonium irrefragabile. 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 justified 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 steadfastly 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 be 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 have been divinely disposed, so many in number and so wonderful in character, for the purpose of making evident the credibility of the Christian faith; nay more, the very church herself, in view of her wonderful propagation, her eminent holiness, and her exhaustless fruitfulness in all that is good, her catholic unity, her unshaken stability, offers a great and evident claim to belief, and an undeniable proof of her divine commission.
Quo fit, ut ipsa veluti signum levatum in nationes,[152] et ad se invitet, qui nondum crediderunt, et filios suos certiores faciat, firmissimo niti fundamento fidem, quam profitentur. Cui quidem testimonio efficax subsidium accedit ex superna virtute. Etenim benignissimus Dominus et errantes gratia sua excitat atque adiuvat, ut ad agnitionem veritatis venire possint; et eos, quos de tenebris transtulit in admirabile lumen suum, in hoc eodem lumine ut perseverent, gratia sua confirmat, non deserens, nisi deseratur. Quocirca minime par est conditio eorum, qui per coeleste fidei donum catholicae veritati adhaeserunt, atque eorum, qui ducti opinionibus humanis, falsam religionem sectantur; illi enim, qui fidem sub Ecclesiae magisterio susceperunt, nullam unquam habere possunt iustam causam mutandi, aut in dubium fidem eamdem revocandi. Quae cum ita sint, gratias agentes Deo Patri, qui dignos nos fecit in partem sortis sanctorum in lumine, tantam ne negligamus salutem, sed aspicientes in auctorem fidei et consummatorem Iesum, teneamus spei nostrae confessionem indeclinabilem. Whence it is that she, as a standard set up unto the nations, (Is. xi. 12,) at the same time calls to herself those who have not yet believed, and shows to her children that the faith which they hold rests on a most solid foundation. And to this, her testimony, effectual aid is supplied by power from above. For the Lord, infinitely merciful, on the one hand stirs up by his grace and helps those who are in error, that they may be able to come to the knowledge of the truth; and, on the other hand, those whom he hath transferred from darkness into his marvellous light he confirms by his grace, that they may persevere in that same light, never abandoning them unless he be first by them abandoned. Wherefore, totally unlike is the condition of those who, by the heavenly gift of faith, have embraced the catholic truth, and of those who, led by human opinions, are following a false religion; for they who have received the faith under the teaching of the church can never have a just reason to change that faith or call it into doubt. Wherefore, giving thanks to God the Father, who hath made us worthy to be partakers of the lot of the saints in light, let us not neglect so great salvation, but looking on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering.
CAPUT IV.
DE FIDE ET RATIONE. 		CHAPTER IV.
OF FAITH AND REASON.
Hoc quoque perpetuus Ecclesiae catholicae consensus tenuit et tenet, duplicem esse ordinem cognitionis, non solum principio, sed obiecto etiam distinctum: principio quidem, quia in altero naturali ratione, in altero fide divina cognoscimus; obiecto autem, quia praeter ea, ad quae naturalis ratio pertingere potest, credenda nobis proponuntur mysteria in Deo abscondita, quae, nisi revelata divinitus, innotescere non possunt. Quocirca Apostolus, qui a gentibus Deum per ea, quae facta sunt, cognitum esse testatur, disserens tamen de gratia et veritate, quae per Iesum Christum facta est,[153] pronuntiat: Loquimur Dei sapientiam in mysterio, quae abscondita est, quam praedestinavit Deus ante saecula in gloriam nostram, quam nemo principum huius saeculi cognovit: nobis autem revelavit Deus per Spiritum suum: Spiritus enim omnia scrutatur, etiam profunda Dei.[154] Et ipse Unigenitus confitetur Patri, quia abscondit haec a sapientibus et prudentibus, et revelavit ea parvulis.[155] Moreover, the Catholic Church has ever held, as she now holds, that there exists a two-fold order of knowledge, each of which is distinct from the other both as to its principle and as to its object. As to its principle, because in the one we know by natural reason, in the other by divine faith; as to the object, because, besides those things to which natural reason can attain, there are proposed to our belief mysteries hidden in God which, unless by him revealed, cannot come to our knowledge. Wherefore the same apostle, who beareth witness that God was known to the Gentiles by the things that are made, yet when speaking of the grace and truth that came by Jesus Christ, (John i. 17.) says, "We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, a wisdom which is hidden; which God ordained before the world unto our glory; which none of the princes of this world knew; but which God hath revealed to us by his Spirit. For the Spirit searcheth all things, yea the deep things of God." (1 Cor. ii. 7, 8, 10.) And the only-begotten Son thanks the Father that he has hid these things from the wise and prudent, and has revealed them to little ones. (Matt. xi. 25.)
Ac ratio quidem, fide illustrata, cum sedulo, pie et sobrie quaerit, aliquam, Deo dante, mysteriorum intelligentiam eamque fructuosissimam assequitur, tum ex eorum, quae naturaliter cognoscit, analogia, tum e mysteriorum ipsorum nexu inter se et cum fine hominis ultimo; nunquam tamen idonea redditur ad ea perspicienda instar veritatum, qua proprium ipsius obiectum constituunt. Divina enim mysteria suapte natura intellectum creatum sic excedunt, ut etiam revelatione tradita et fide suscepta, ipsius tamen fidei velamine contecta et quadam quasi caligine obvoluta maneant, quamdiu in hac mortali vita peregrinamur a Domino: per fidem enim ambulamus, et non per speciem.[156] Reason, indeed, enlightened by faith and seeking with diligence and godly sobriety, may, by God's gift, come to some understanding, limited in degree, but most wholesome in its effects, of mysteries, both from the analogy of things which are naturally known, and from the connection of the mysteries themselves with one another and with man's last end. But never can reason be rendered capable of thoroughly understanding mysteries, as it does those truths which form its proper object. For God's mysteries, of their very nature, so far surpass the reach of created intellect, that even when taught by revelation, and received by faith, they remain covered by faith itself as by a veil, and shrouded as it were in darkness as long as in this mortal life "we are absent from the Lord; for we walk by faith, and not by sight." (2 Cor. v. 6, 7.)
Verum etsi fides sit supra rationem, nulla tamen unquam inter fidem et rationem vera dissensio esse potest: cum idem Deus, qui mysteria revelat et fidem infundit, animo humano rationis lumen indiderit; Deus autem negare seipsum non possit, nec verum vero unquam contradicere. Inanis autem huius contradictionis species inde potissimum oritur, quod vel fidei dogmata ad mentem Ecclesiae intellecta et exposita non fuerint, vel opinionum commenta pro rationis effatis habeantur. Omnem igitur assertionem veritati illuminatae fidei contrariam omnino falsam esse definimus.[157] Porro Ecclesia, quae una cum apostolico munere docendi, mandatum accepit, fidei depositum costodiendi, ius etiam et officium divinitus habet falsi nominis scientiam proscribendi, ne quis decipiatur per philosophiam, et inanem fallaciam.[158] Quapropter omnes christiani fideles huiusmodi opiniones, quae fidei doctrinae contrariae esse cognoscuntur, maxime si ab Ecclesia reprobatae fuerint, non solum prohibentur tanquam legitimas scientiae conclusiones defendere, sed pro erroribus potius, qui fallacem veritatis speciem prae se ferant, habere tenentur omnino. But although faith be above reason, there never can be a real disagreement between them, since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has given to man's soul the light of reason; and God cannot deny himself nor can one truth ever contradict another. Wherefore the empty shadow of such contradiction arises chiefly from this, that either the doctrines of faith are not understood and set forth as the church really holds them, or that the vain devices and opinions of men are mistaken for the dictates of reason. We therefore definitively pronounce false every assertion which is contrary to the enlightened truth of faith. (V. Lateran Counc. Bull Apostolici Regiminis.) Moreover the church, which, together with her apostolic office of teaching, is charged also with the guardianship of the deposit of faith, holds likewise from God the right and the duty to condemn "knowledge falsely so called," (1 Tim. vi. 20,) "lest any man be cheated by philosophy and vain deceit." (Col. ii. 8.) Hence all the Christian faithful are not only forbidden to defend as legitimate conclusions of science those opinions which are known to be contrary to the doctrine of faith, especially when condemned by the church, but are rather absolutely bound to hold them for errors wearing a deceitful appearance of truth.
Neque solum fides et ratio inter se dissidere nunquam possunt, sed opem quoque sibi mutuam ferunt, cum recta ratio fidei fundamenta demonstret, eiusque lumine illustrata rerum divinarum scientiam excolat; fides vero rationem ab erroribus liberet ac tueatur, eamque multiplici cognitione instruat. Quapropter tantum abest, ut Ecclesia humanarum artium et disciplinarum culturae obsistat, ut hanc multis modis iuvet atque promoveat. Non enim commoda ab iis ad hominum vitam dimanantia aut ignorat aut despicit; fatetur imo, eas, quemadmodum a Deo, scientiarum Domino, profectae sunt, ita si rite pertractentur, ad Deum, iuvante eius gratia, perducere. Nec sane ipsa vetat, ne huiusmodi disciplinae in suo quaeque ambitu propriis utantur principiis et propria methodo; sed iustam hanc libertatem agnoscens, id sedulo cavet, ne divinae doctrinae repugnando errores in se suscipiant, aut fines proprios transgressae, ea, quae sunt fidei, occupent et perturbent. Not only is it impossible for faith and reason ever to contradict each other, but they rather afford each other mutual assistance. For right reason establishes the foundations of faith and by the aid of its light cultivates the science of divine things; and faith, on the other hand, frees and preserves reason from errors, and enriches it with knowledge of many kinds. So far, then, is the church from opposing the culture of human arts and sciences, that she rather aids and promotes it in many ways. For she is not ignorant of, nor does she despise the advantages which flow from them to the life of men; on the contrary, she acknowledges that, as they sprang from God the Lord of knowledge, so, if they be rightly pursued, they will, through the aid of his grace, lead to God. Nor does she forbid any of those sciences the use of its own principles and its own method within its own proper sphere; but recognizing this reasonable freedom, she only takes care that they may not by contradicting God's teaching, fall into errors, or, overstepping their due limits, invade and throw into confusion the domain of faith.
Neque enim fidei doctrina, quam Deus revelavit, velut philosophicum inventum proposita est humanis ingeniis perficienda, sed tanquam divinum depositum Christi Sponsae tradita, fideliter custodienda et infallibiliter declaranda. Hinc sacrorum quoque dogmatum is sensus perpetuo est retinendus, quem semel declaravit Sancta Mater Ecclesia, nec unquam ab eo sensu, altioris intelligentiae specie et nomine, recedendum. Crescat igitur et multum vehementerque proficiat, tam singulorum, quam omnium, tam unius hominis, quam totius Ecclesiae, aetatum ac saeculorum gradibus, intelligentia, scientia, sapientia: sed in suo dumtaxat genere, in eodem scilicet dogmate, eodem sensu, eademque sententia.[159] For the doctrine of faith revealed by God has not been proposed, like some philosophical discovery, to be made perfect by human ingenuity; but it has been delivered to the spouse of Christ as a divine deposit to be faithfully guarded and unerringly set forth. Hence all tenets of holy faith are to be explained always according to the sense and meaning of the church, nor is it ever lawful to depart therefrom, under pretence or color of more enlightened explanation. Therefore as generations and centuries roll on, let the understanding, knowledge, and wisdom of each and every one, of individuals and of the whole church, grow apace and increase exceedingly, yet only in its kind; that is to say, retaining pure and inviolate the sense and meaning and belief of the same doctrine. (Vincent of Lerins. Common. No. 28.)
CANONES.
I.
DE DEO RERVM OMNIVM CREATORE. 		CANONS.
I.
OF GOD THE CREATOR OF ALL THINGS.
1. Si quis unum verum Deum visibilium et invisibilium Creatorem et Dominum negaverit; anathema sit. 1. If any one shall deny the one true God, Creator and Lord of things visible and invisible; let him be anathema.
2. Si quis praeter materiam nihil esse affirmare non erubuerit; anathema sit. 2. If any one shall unblushingly affirm, that besides matter nothing else exists; let him be anathema.
3. Si quis dixerit, unam eandemque esse Dei et rerum omnium substantiam vel essentiam; anathema sit. 3. If any one shall say that the substance or essence of God, and of all things, is one and the same; let him be anathema.
4. Si quis dixerit, res finitas, tum corporeas tum spirituales, aut saltem spirituales, e divina substantia emanasse; 4. If any one shall say that finite things, both corporeal and spiritual, or at least spiritual things, are emanations of the divine substance;
aut divinam essentiam sui manifestatione vel evolutione fieri omnia; Or that the divine essence by manifestation or development of itself becomes all things;
aut denique Deum esse ens universale seu indefinitum, quod sese determinando constituat rerum universitatem in genera, species et individua distinctam; anathema sit. Or, finally, that God is universal or indefinite Being, which, in determining itself, constitutes all things, divided into genera, species, and individuals; let him be anathema.
5. Si quis non confiteatur, mundum, resque omnes, quae in eo continentur, et spirituales et materiales, secundum totam suam substantiam a Deo ex nihilo esse productas; 5. If any one do not acknowledge that the world, and all things which it contains, both spiritual and material, were produced, in all their substance, by God, out of nothing;
aut Deum dixerit non voluntate ab omni necessitate libera, sed tam necessario creasse, quam necessario amat seipsum; Or shall say that God created them, not of his own will, free from all necessity, but through a necessity such as that whereby he loves himself;
aut mundum ad Dei gloriam conditum esse negaverit; anathema sit. Or shall deny that the world was created for the glory of God; let him be anathema.
II.
DE REVELATIONE. 		II.
OF REVELATION.
1. Si quis dixerit, Deum unum et verum, Creatorem et Dominum nostrum, per ea, quae facta sunt, naturali rationis humanae lumine certo cognosci non posse; anathema sit. 1. If any one shall say that certain knowledge of the one true God, our Creator and Lord, cannot be attained by the natural light of human reason through the things that are made; let him be anathema.
2. Si quis dixerit, fieri non posse, aut non expedire, ut per revelationem divinam homo de Deo, cultuque ei exhibendo edoceatur; anathema sit. 2. If any one shall say that it is impossible, or inexpedient, for man to be instructed by means of divine revelation, in those things that concern God and the worship to be rendered to him; let him be anathema.
3. Si quis dixerit, hominem ad cognitionem et perfectionem, quae naturalem superet, divinitus evehi non posse, sed ex seipso ad omnis tandem veri et boni possessionem iugi profectu pertingere posse et debere; anathema sit. 3. If any one shall say that man cannot, by the power of God, be raised to a knowledge and perfection which is above that of nature; but that he can and ought of his own efforts, by means of constant progress, to arrive at last to the possession of all truth and goodness; let him be anathema.
4. Si quis sacrae Scripturae libros integros cum omnibus suis partibus, prout illos sancta Tridentina Synodus recensuit, pro sacris et canonicis non susceperit, aut eos divinitus inspiratos esse negaverit; anathema sit. 4. If any one shall refuse to receive for sacred and canonical the books of holy Scripture in their integrity, with all their parts, according as they were enumerated by the holy Council of Trent;
Or shall deny that they are inspired by God; let him be anathema.
III.
DE FIDE. 		III.
OF FAITH.
1. Si quis dixerit, rationem humanam ita independentem esse, ut fides ei a Deo imperari non possit; anathema sit. 1. If any one shall say that human reason is in such wise independent, that faith cannot be demanded of it by God; let him be anathema.
2. Si quis dixerit, fidem divinam a naturali de Deo et rebus moralibus scientia non distingui, ac propterea ad fidem divinam non requiri, ut revelata veritas propter auctoritatem Dei revelantis credatur; anathema sit. 2. If any one shall say that divine faith does not differ from a natural knowledge of God, and of moral truths; and therefore that for divine faith, it is not necessary to believe revealed truth, on the authority of God who reveals it; let him be anathema.
3. Si quis dixerit, revelationem divinam externis signis credibilem fieri non posse, ideoque sola interna cuiusque experientia aut inspiratione privata homines ad fidem moveri debere; anathema sit. 3. If any one shall say that divine revelation cannot be rendered credible by external evidences; and therefore that men should be moved to faith only by each one's interior experience or private inspiration; let him be anathema.
4. Si quis dixerit, miracula nulla fieri posse, proindeque omnes de iis narrationes, etiam in sacra Scriptura contentas, inter fabulas vel mythos ablegandas esse; aut miracula certo cognosci nunquam posse, nec iis divinam religionis christianae originem rite probari; anathema sit. 4. If any one shall say that no miracles can be wrought; and therefore that all accounts of such, even those contained in the sacred Scripture, are to be set aside as fables or myths; or that miracles can never be known with certainty, and that the divine origin of Christianity cannot be truly proved by them; let him be anathema.
5. Si quis dixerit, assensum fidei christianae non esse liberum, sed argumentis humanae rationis necessario produci; aut ad solam fidem vivam, quae per charitatem operatur, gratiam Dei necessariam esse; anathema sit. 5. If any one shall say that the assent of Christian faith is not free, but is produced necessarily by arguments of human reason; or that the grace of God is necessary only for living faith which worketh by charity; let him be anathema.
6. Si quis dixerit, parem esse conditionem fidelium atque eorum, qui ad fidem unice veram nondum pervenerunt, ita ut catholici iustam causam habere possint, fidem, quam sub Ecclesiae magisterio iam susceperunt, assensu suspenso in dubium vocandi, donec demonstrationem scientificam credibilitatis et veritatis fidei suae absolverint; anathema sit. 6. If any one shall say that the condition of the faithful, and of those who have not yet come to the only true faith, is equal, in such wise that Catholics can have just reason for withholding their assent, and calling into doubt the faith which they have received from the teaching of the church, until they shall have completed a scientific demonstration of the credibility and truth of their faith; let him be anathema.
IV.
DE FIDE ET RATIONE. 		IV.
OF FAITH AND REASON.
1. Si quis dixerit, in revelatione divina nulla vera et proprie dicta mysteria contineri, sed universa fidei dogmata posse per rationem rite excultam e naturalibus principiis intelligi et demonstrari; anathema sit. 1. If any one shall say that divine revelation includes no mysteries, truly and properly so called; but that all the dogmas of faith may, with the aid of natural principles, be understood and demonstrated by reason duly cultivated; let him be anathema.
2. Si quis dixerit, disciplinas humanas ea cum libertate tractandas esse, ut earum assertiones, etsi doctrinae revelatae adversentur, tanquam verae retineri, neque ab Ecclesia proscribi possint; anathema sit. 2. If any one shall say that human sciences ought to be pursued in such a spirit of freedom that one may be allowed to hold, as true, their assertions, even when opposed to revealed doctrine; and that such assertions may not be condemned by the church; let him be anathema.
3. Si quis dixerit, fieri posse, ut dogmatibus ab Ecclesia propositis, aliquando secundum progressum scientiae sensus tribuendus sit alius ab eo, quem intellexit et intelligit Ecclesia; anathema sit. 3. If any one shall say that it may at any time come to pass, in the progress of science, that the doctrines set forth by the church must be taken in another sense than that in which the church has ever received and yet receives them; let him be anathema.
Itaque supremi pastoralis Nostri officii debitum exequentes, omnes Christi fideles, maxime vero eos, qui praesunt vel docendi munere funguntur, per viscera Iesu Christi obtestamur, nec non eiusdem Dei et Salvatoris nostri auctoritate iubemus, ut ad hos errores a Sancta Ecclesia arcendos et eliminandos, atque purissimae fidei lucem pandendam studium et operam conferant. Wherefore, fulfilling our supreme pastoral duty, we beseech, through the bowels of mercy of Jesus Christ, all the Christian faithful, and those especially who are set over others, or have the office of teachers, and furthermore we command them, by authority of the same our God and Saviour, to use all zeal and industry to drive out and keep away from holy church those errors, and to spread abroad the pure light of faith.
Quoniam vero satis non est, haereticam pravitatem devitare, nisi ii quoque errores diligenter fugiantur, qui ad illam plus minusve accedunt; omnes officii monemus, servandi etiam Constitutiones et Decreta, quibus pravae eiusmodi opiniones, quae isthic diserte non enumerantur, ab hac Sancta Sede proscriptae et prohibitae sunt. And whereas it is not enough to avoid heretical pravity, unless at the same time we carefully shun those errors which more or less approach to it; we admonish all, that it is their duty to observe likewise the constitutions and decrees of this holy see, by which wrong opinions of the same kind, not expressly herein mentioned, are condemned and forbidden.