The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-05-29
CHAPTER II.
OF Revelation.

teaches that God, the beginning and end of Al
Things, can be known with certainty throug
reason for the invisible things of him. fror
the creation of the world, are clearly seen. be
ing understood by the things that are made,
ROMANS !. 2O,) but that nevertheless it ha
pleased his wisdom and goodness to reveal +
mankind, by another and that a supernstura
way, himself and the eternal DEGREES of hi
VIII even as the apostle says, God who a
times past, to the fathers by the prophets, las
OF all, in these days hath spoken to us by hi
SON. Heb. l. !, p To this divine revelatio,
which are not of themselves beyond the rras,
OF human reason may, even in tho present con
dinon Of the human race, be known by all
read!ly, with full certainty and without any
admixture Of error. Yet not on this acconnj
| Is revelation absolutely necessary, but because
God, of his infinite goodness, has ordained mar
for supernatural end, for the participation
pass the understanding of the human mind
for "eye hath not seen nUr ear heard, neither
hath it entered in the heart of man, what
him SH st G essh for them that love
NOW, this supernatural revelation, according
| to the belief of the universal church. as de-
| clared by the holy Council of Trent, is conf
tanned in the written books and in the unwrit
ten traditions which have come to us as re-
ceived orally from Christ himself by the Apos-
ties, or handed down from the apostles taught
by the Holy Ghost. Council of Trent, session
iy.-Decree on the Canon of Scripture) And
| these books of the Old and New Testament are
to be received as sacred and canonicai, in their
integrity and with all their parts, as they are
enumerated. in the decree of tho 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
Oeen compiled by human industry alone, and
afterward approved by her authority nor only
because they contain revelation without error,
out because, having been written under the in
SEPARATION of the Holy Ghost, they havs/God for
Cle1r author and Sucl have haan dali
to the Church herself
And since those things which the Council of
trent has declared by wholesome DEGREES con-
corning the Interpretation of diving Scripture,
IN order to restrain restless spirits, explain
Cd by some in wrong sense we, renewing
the same decree, declare this to be the mind Of
tne 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 s2cred 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 NAV
interpret the sacred Scripture contrary to this
sense, or contrary to the unanimous consent of
CHAPTER III.
OF Faith.
Forasmuch as man totally depends ON God as |
his Creator and Lord, and created reason ia |
wholly subject to the uncreated truth, there |
fore we are bound, when God makes n revela.
ton, to render to him the full obedience of our
and will by faith And this
faith, which is the beginning Of mains saliva |
ton, the Church declares to be q supernatural
virtue, whereby, under the inspiration and aid |
Of Gods grace, we believe to be true the THINGS
revealed by him, not for their intrinsic truth
of God revealing them who can
neither deceive nor be deceived For faith. "a |
Inc apostle witnesseth, is the substance of
that appear not. lHeb. XII. ~
10 the end, nevertheless, that the obedience |
OF our faith might be agreeable to reason, God |
wiled to join unto the interior grace of the Holy
Spirit external proofs of his revelation, to wit.
divine works, and chiefly miracles and prophe-
cies, which, AS they manifestly show forth the |
and the infinite knowledge of God, |
and suited to the understa ndinr of all Where.
fore both Moses and the prophets and above
all, Christ our Lord himself, wrought many
most nM s T., miracles and uttered pro
they going forth preached every the
Lord working witha1, and confirming the woI
With ia signs that followeth.n Mark xvi, so.)
irm proPhetical word; whereunto you do we'll
to attend, as to a light that shineth in dark
place." (2Pet. j. 19.)
any means o blind movement of the mind:
nevertheless no one can believe the preaching
Of the Gospel in such wise as behoveth to SAL
yn n, without the light and inspiration of the
yielding to the truth and believing it. e Coun-
I'll of Orange, Can. ~ Wherefore faith in it.
self, even though it be not working by charity,
g q gift of God, and an act of faith is q work |
ending to salvation, whereby man renders
Tree obedience to God himself, consenting to
IN cooperating with his grace, which he hath
power to resist. |
Now, all those things are to be believed of
Irvine and Catholic faith which are contained
n the word of God, whether written or handed
Town by tradition and which the Church.
either by solemn decree or by her ordinary and
Universal teaching, proposes for belief as re-
'ealed by God.
And whereas without faith it is inpossbIe
o please God, and to come to the fellowship of
lis children, therefore hath no one at any time
been justified without faith; nor shall any one
Unless he persevere therein unto the end at
ain everlasting life. And in order that we +
night be able to fulfil our duty of embracing
he true faith, and of steadfastly persevering
herein, God, through his only-becotten Son.
lid establish the Church and place upon her
manifest marks of his institution, that all !
men might be able to recognize her as the
uardian and teacher of his revealed word
'or only to the Catholic Church do all those
igns belong, which have been divinely dis '
osed, so many in number and 80 wonderful in
haracter, for the purpose of making evident
be credibility of the Christian faith; nav,
lore, the very Church herself, in view of her
propagation, her eminent holiness,
nd her exhaustless fruitfulness in all that is 2
God, her Catholic unity, her mistaken stabili-
=, offers o great and evident claim to belief |
nd an undeniable proof of her divine commits &
ION. Ia O
Whence it il that she, as a standard set mp n
INTO the nations, Os. XII. H. at the same time =
alls to herself those who have not vet believed.
nd shows to her children that the faith which
ley hold rests on q most solid foundation. ,
nd to this, her testimony, effectual aid is
applied by power from above. For the Lord,