The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-05-20
THE VATICAN COUNCIL.
Important Decree on Catholic Faith.

We have now an approved translation of the
first "Dogmatic Decree of the Council OF the
Vatican" It Is the decree of the assembled
Fathers on the subject Of Catholic faith, and
possesses, consequently, great interest. The
translation has been. carefully revised for the
Catholic World magazine by some Of the Faith
ers attending the Council The Geumenfcal
paper is of considerable length, and the sub
stance of it is given at the close in the follow
ing canons:
FIRsT-oF GOD, TIE CREATOR OF ALL THINGS
First. If any one shall deny the one true God,
Creator and Lord Of things visible and inVlsi-
BILE; let him be anathema.
Second. II any one shall unblushingly afhrm
that besides matter nothing else exists; let him
Third. If any one shall say that the substance
or essence of God, anfot all things, is one and
the same; let him be anathema.
Fouth. If any one shall say that finite things,
both corporea1 and spiritual, or 1T least spiri-
tual things, are emanations Of the Divine SUBJ
stance; -,.,
or development of itself, becomes all things;
Or. finally, that God is universal or indefinite
Being, which, in determining Itself, constitutes
all things, divided into genera, species and In
diyiduaIs; let him be anathema
Fifth. 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;
Or shall say that God created them, not OF
His own will, tree from all necessity, Gat I
through necessity such as that whereby He
loves Himself;
Or shall deny that the world was created lor
the glory OF God; let him be anathema.
sEcoND-oF REVELATION.
Frst. If apy 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.
Second. If any one shall say that 1t is i'm
possible or ineXpedient for man TO be instruct
cd by means of divine revelation in those
things that concern God and the worship to
be rendered to him; let him be anathema:
Third. If any one shall say that man cannot,
by the power OF God, he raised to knowledge
and perfection which is above that OF nature;
bnt that he can and ought OF his own efforts
by means OF constant progress, 10 arrive at
last to the possession OF all truth and good
ness; let him be anathema.
Fourth. 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 at Trent:
Or shall deny that they are inspired by God;
let him be anathema.
THIRD-oF FAITH.
First. II any one shall say that human rea-
son ia in such wise independent, that faith
cannot be demanded Of by God; let him be
anathenla,
Second. II any one shall say that divine faith
does not differ from natural KnoWledSe OF
God, and of moral truths; and therefore that
for divine faith 1t is not necessary 70 oelleye
revealed truth on the authority OF Goo VINO
reveals it; let him be anathema.
Third. If any one shall soy that divine reVe-
latIon cannot be rendered credible by external
evidences. and therefore that men should be
moved to faith only by each ones interior ex-
perience or private inspiration; let him be an
athena.
Fourth. # any one shall say that no miracles
can be wrought, and therefore that al ac-
counts Of such, even those contained IN tne sa-
cred 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.
Fifth. If any one shall say that the assent OF
Christian faith Is not free, but is produced ne
cessarily by arguments OF human reason or
that the Grace Of God is necessary only ior lv-
inc ing faith which worketh by charity; let him be
anathema.
sixth. ii any one shall say that the condi-
tion of The faithful, and of those who have not
VET come to the only true futh, Is equal, IN
snrh wise that Catholics can have just reason
from Withholding their assent aud calling INTO
doubt the faith which they have received from
the teaching OF the church, until they snail
have completed scientlnc aenonsliation ~ ~. VI
the credibiity and truth oil their ialtii let nin
be anathema.
PouRTH-oF FAITH AND REASON.
First. If any one shall say that divine reve-
Iation includes no mysteries, truly and prop
NAV. With the aid Of natural principles, be un-
derstood and demonstrated by reason duly Gull
tiysted; let him be anathema.
Second. If any one shall say that human
sciences ought to be pursued In such O spirit
of freedom that one may be allowed 10 mold,
as true, their assertions. even when opposed
to revealed doctrine; and that such assertions
may not be condemned by the Church; let him
be anathenla.
Third If any one shall say that it may at
anv time come TO pass, in the progress OF
science. that the doctrine set forth by the
church must be taken in another sense than
that in which the church has ever received
and vet receives them; let him be anathema.
wherefore, fulfilling our supreme pastoral
dutv. we beseech, through the bowels Of mercy
of Jesus Christ all the Christian faithful, and
those especially who are set over others OF
have the office Of teachers, and furthermore
we command them, by authority Of the same
our God and Saviour, to use all zeal and In
dustry to drive out and keep away from holy
church those errors, and to spread abroad the
pure light of faith.
tical nrayity, unless at the same time We care,
fnlly shun those errors which more or less ap
proach to it; we admonish all that it is theil
duty to observe likewise the constitutions ant
DEGREES Of this Holy See, by which wrong opin
ions of the same kind, not expressly herein