DECREES AND CANONS OF THE COUNCIL OF TRENT. 457

as they avowed, "not to pardon or spare the life of any one of the Huguenots, and to efface the name of the Bourbons."

Those traitors to mankind arranged that Philip II. king of Spain should first dispossess the king of Navarre, afterwards Henry IV. of France, of his dominions; in which design he was to have the assistance of the dukes of Guise and their associates, commonly known as the French League. From that measure, which was determined upon at Trent, emanated the Parisian massacre of 1572, and the continued civil wars which during so long a period desolated France with famine, slaughter, and every frightful atrocity.

While that nefarious work of destruction was in progression throughout the West of Europe, the Papal Cantons of Switzerland, aided by the German Emperor and his vassals, were to engage in extinguishing the disciples of Zuingle; and the Duke of Saxony was to raze the city of Geneva, "putting to the point of the sword, or casting into the lake, every living soul who shall be found in it, without distinction of sex or age."

Having finished those tragedies, all the Papal powers covenanted to subdue the Lutherans, and to transform the North-Western part of Germany into one grand charnel-house from the Alps to the Baltic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. After which, the whole of the continent was to be arrayed against Britain, whence originated the Spanish Armada; and in which the wealth and energy of Spain were irrecoverably drowned.

The Cardinals, Prelates, and other Ecclesiastics consented to appropriate a large portion of their exorbitant revenues for that general crusade; and "any ecclesiastic or Priest who had an inclination to take up arms, was permitted to enrol himself for that war so holy, without any scruple of conscience."-Discours des Conjurations, &c. 1565.

That such a body should have issued the ensuing "decrees and canons" is consistent. They were graphically described by the Apostle Paul, 1 Tim. 4: 1, 2, as seducing spirits, speaking lies in hypocrisy."

CREED OF FAITH.-"In the name of the holy and undivided Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

"The sacred, holy, œcumenical and general Council of Trent, lawfully assembled in the Holy Spirit, under the presidency of Cardinals De Monte, Santa Croce, and Pole, the three legates of the apostolic see ;-considering the importance of the subjects to be discussed, and especially of those which are included in these two articles, the extirpation of heresies, and the reformation of manners, for which causes chiefly the council has been assembled ;-moreover, acknowledging with the apostle, that its 'wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the spirits of wickedness in high places,' doth in the first place, after the example of the same apostle, exhort all persons to ba strengthened in the Lord, and in the might of his power, in all things taking the shield of faith, wherewith they may be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the most wicked one, and the helmet of salvation with the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.' Therefore, that this its pious care may, both in its commencement and its progress, enjoy the favour of God, it hath appointed and decreed, that before all things confession of faith be made; following in this the examples of the fathers, who were accustomed, in their sacred councils, at the very beginning of their proceedings, to hold up this shield against all heresies; by which means alone they have not unfrequently drawn infidels to the faith, confuted heretics, and confirmed believers. Wherefore, the council hath thought proper to recite in that form of words which is read in all churches, the confession of faith adopted by the holy Roman church, which contains the first principles in which all who profess the faith of Christ necessarily agree, and is the firm and only foundation, against which the gates of hell shall never prevail. It is as follows:

"I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the

only begotten Son of God, and born of the Father before all ages. God of God; Light of Light; true God of true God; begotten, not made; consubstantial to the Father, by whom all things were made. Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and became incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man. He was crucified also for us, suffered under Pontius Pilate, and was buried. And the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of the Father; and he is to come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, of whose kingdom there shall be no end. And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; who together with the Father and the Son, is adored and glorified; who spoke by the prophets. And one Holy, catholic, and apostolic church, I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. And I expect the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.'

THE CANONICAL SCRIPTURES.-The sacred, holy, cecumenical and general council of Trent, lawfully assembled in the Holy Spirit, the three before mentioned legates of the apostolic see presiding therein; bearing constantly in view the removal of error and the preservation of the purity of the gospel in the church, which gospel, promised before by the prophets in the sacred Scriptures, was first orally published by our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who afterwards commanded it to be preached by his apostles to every creature, as the source of all saving truth and discipline; and perceiving that this truth and discipline are contained both in written books and in unwritten traditions, which have come down to us, either received by the apostles from the lip of Christ himself, or transmitted by the hands of the same apostles, under the dictation of the Holy Spirit; following the example of the orthodox fathers, doth receive and reverence, with equal piety and veneration, all the books, as well of the Old as of the New Testament, the same God being the author of both-and also the aforesaid traditions, pertaining both to faith and manners, whether received from Christ himself, or dictated by the Holy Spirit, and preserved in the Catholic church by continual succession. Moreover, lest any doubt should arise respecting the sacred books which are received by the council, it has been judged proper to insert a list of them in the present decree.

They are these: of the OLD TESTAMENT, the five books of Moses,— Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy; Joshua; Judges; Ruth; four books of Kings; two books of Chronicles; the first and second of Esdras, the latter is called Nehemiah; Tobit; Judith; Esther; Job; the Psalms of David, in number 150; the Proverbs; Ecclesiastes; the Song of Songs; Wisdom; Ecclesiasticus; Isaiah; Jeremiah, with Baruch; Ezekiel; Daniel; the twelve minor Prophets,-Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi; and two books of Maccabees, the first and second. Of the NEW TESTAMENT, the four Gospels, according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; the Acts of the Apostles written by the Evangelist Luke; fourteen Epistles of the Apostle Paul,-to the Romans, two to the Corinthians, to the Galatians, to the Ephesians, to the Philippians, to the Colossians, two to the Thessalonians, two to Timothy, to Titus, to Philemon, and to the Hebrews; two of the Apostle Peter; three of the Apostle John; one of the Apostle James; one of the Apostle Jude; and the Revelation of the Apostle John. Whoever shall not receive, as sacred and canonical, all those books and every part of them, as they are commonly read in the Catholic Church, and are contained in the old Vulgate Latin edition, or shall knowingly and deliberately despise the aforesaid traditions: let him be accursed. The foundation being thus laid in the confession of faith, all may understand the manner in which the council intends to proceed, and what proofs and authorities will be principally used in establishing doctrine and restoring order in the church.

THE EDITION AND USE OF THE SACRED BOOKS.-"Moreover, the same most holy council, considering that no small advantage will accrue to the church of God, if of all the Latin editions of the Sacred Book which are in circulation, some one shall be distinguished as that which ought to be regarded as authentic-doth ordain and declare, that the same old and Vulgate edition, which has been approved by its use in the church for so many ages, shall be held as authentic, in all public lectures, disputations, sermons, and expositions; and that no one shall dare or presume to reject it, under any pretence whatso

ever.

"In order to restrain petulant minds, the council further decrees, that in matters of faith and morals and whatever relates to the maintenance of Christian doctrine, no one, confiding in his own judgment, shall dare to wrest the sacred Scriptures to his own sense of them, contrary to that which hath been held and still is held by holy mother church, whose right it is to judge of the true meaning and interpretation of Sacred Writ; or contrary to the unanimous consent of the fathers; even though such interpretations should never be published. If any disobey, let him be denounced by the ordinaries, and punished according to law.

"Being desirous also, as is reasonable, of setting bounds to the printers, who with unlimited boldness, supposing themselves at liberty to do as they please, print editions of the Holy Scriptures with notes and expositions taken indifferently from any writer, without the permission of their ecclesiastical superiors, and that at a concealed or falsely-designated press, and, which is worse, without the name of the author-and also rashly expose books of this nature to sale in other countries; the holy council decrees and ordains, that for the future the sacred Scriptures, and especially the old Vulgate edition, shall be printed in the most correct manner possible; and no one shall be permitted to print, or cause to be printed any books relating to religion without the name of the author; neither shall any one hereafter sell such books, or even retain them in his possession, unless they have been first examined and approved by the ordinary, under penalty of anathema, and the pecuniary fine adjudged by the last council of Lateran. And if they be regulars, they shall obtain, besides this examination and approval, the license of their superiors, who shall examine the books according to the forms of their statutes. Those who circulate or publish them in manuscript without being examined and approved, shall be liable to the same penalties as the printers; and those who possess or read them, unless they declare the authors of them, shall themselves be considered as the author. The approbation of books of this description shall be given in writing, and shall be placed in due form on the title-page of the book, whether manuscript or printed; and the whole, that is, the examination and the approval, shall be gratuitous, that what is deserving may be approved, and what is unworthy may be rejected.

Finally, the holy council wishing to repress the audacity of those who apply and pervert words and sentences of Holy Scripture to profane uses, making them serve for railleries, vain and fabulous applications, flatteries, detractions, superstitions, impious and diabolical incantations, divinations, lots, and infamous libels; commands and ordains, in order to abolish this kind of irreverence and contempt, and to prevent any one from daring for the future to abuse the words of Scripture in this or any similar way, that such persons shall be punished at the discretion of the Bishops, as wilful violators of the word of God, in the manner prescribed by law.

ORIGINAL SIN.-"That our Catholic faith, without which it is impossible to please God, may be cleansed from error and remain in its purity, whole and undefiled, and that Christian people may not be carried about with every wind of doctrine; the sacred, holy,œcumenical and general council of Trent, lawfully assembled, &c. wishing to reclaim the wandering and confirm such as waver, doth in the following manner decree, confess, and declare concerning original sin,

according to the authority of the sacred Scriptures, venerable fathers, approved councils, and the judgment and consent of the church. For among the many evils with which the old serpent, the perpetual enemy of the human race, has troubled the church in our times, is this, that he has revived the old and excited new dissensions respecting original sin and the remedy thereof.

"1. Whoever shall not confess that when Adam, the first man, transgressed the commandment of God given him in paradise, he lost immediately the purity and righteousness in which he was created, and by the sin of his prevarication incurred the wrath and indignation of God, and consequently death, with which God had before threatened him; and with death captivity to him who thence hath the power of death, that is the devil; so that by this offence of prevarication the whole man was changed for the worse, both in body and soul: let him be accursed.

2. Whoever shall affirm that Adam's prevarication injured himself only, and not his posterity, and that he lost the purity and righteousness which he had received from God, for himself only, and not also for us; or that when he became polluted by disobedience he transmitted to all mankind corporal death and punishment only, but not sin also, which is the death of the soul : let him be accursed. For he contradicts the Apostle, who saith, 'By one man sin entered into this world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, in whom all have sinned.' Rom. v. 12.

"3. Whoever shall affirm, that this sin of Adam, which originally was one offence only, but being transmitted to all by propagation, not by imitation, becomes the sin of all, can be taken away by the strength of human nature, or by any other remedy than the merit of our Lord Jesus Christ, the one Mediator, who hath reconciled us to God by his blood, and is made to us jus tice, sanctification, and redemption; 1 Cor. i. 30; or shall deny that the merit of Christ Jesus is applied, both to adults and infants, by the sacrament of baptism, rightly administered according to the forms of the church : let him be accursed. For there is no other name under heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved.' Acts iv. 12. Whence that saying, Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who taketh away the sin of the world,' John i. 29; and that other, 'As many of you as have been baptized, have put on Christ,' Gal. iii. 27.

"4. Whosoever shall affirm, that new-born infants, even though sprung from baptized parents, ought not to be baptized; or shall say, though they are baptized for the remission of sins, yet they derive not from Adam that original guilt which must be expiated in the laver of regeneration, in order to obtain eternal life; whence it must follow in those instances the form of baptism is not sincerely but deceitfully administered: let him be accursed. For those words of the Apostle, ' By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, in whom all have sinned,' are to be understood in no other way than that in which the Catholic church, diffused through the whole world, hath understood them. For even little children, who could not themselves commit sin, are by this rule of faith truly baptized for the remission of sins, according to apostolic tradition, that in regener ation that may be cleansed away which was contracted in generation. For 'unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God," John iii. 5.

"5. Whoever shall deny that the guilt of original sin is remitted by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, bestowed in baptism; or shall affirm that that wherein sin truly and properly consists is not wholly rooted up, but is only cut down or not imputed : let him be accursed. For God hates nothing in the regenerate, because there is no condemnation to those who are truly buried with Christ in baptism unto death, who walk not after the flesh, but putting off the old man, and putting on the new, which according to God, is created, are made innocent, immaculate, pure, harmless, the beloved of God, and even heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, so that nothing can wholly prevent them from entering into heaven. Nevertheless, this holy council doth confess and feel that concupiscence, or the fuel of sin, doth still remain

in the baptized; which being left to try them will not hurt those who do not yield-thereto, but manfully resist, through the grace of Christ Jesus; on the contrary, he who shall strive lawfully, shall be crowned,' 2 Tim. ii. 5. The holy council declares that the Catholic church hath never understood that this concupiscence, which the apostle sometimes calls sin, is so called sin, as if there were truly and properly sin in the regenerate, but because it is of sin, and inclines to sin. Whoever thinks differently: let him be accursed.

"The holy council further declares, that it is not its design to include in this decree, which treats of original sin, the blessed and immaculate Virgin Mary, mother of God; but that the constitutions of Pope Sixtus IV., of blessed memory, are to be observed, under the penalties contained in the same; which are hereby renewed."

JUSTIFICATION.-"Seeing that in this age many errors are disseminated, concerning the doctrine of justification; errors destructive to the souls of many, and highly injurious to the unity of the church: the sacred, holy, ecumenical, and general council of Trent, lawfully assembled, &c. seeking the praise and glory of Almighty God, the tranquillity of the church, and the salvation of souls, doth intend to explain to all the faithful in Christ that true and wholesome doctrine of justification, which Christ Jesus, the sun of righteousness, the author and finisher of our faith, hath taught, the Apostles delivered, and the Catholic church, instructed by the Holy Spirit, hath ever retained, strictly enjoining that henceforth no one dare to believe, preach, or teach, otherwise than is appointed and declared by the present decree.

I. Inability of Nature and the Law to justify Men.

"In the first place, the holy council maintains that it is necessary, in order to understand the doctrine of justification truly and well, that every one should acknowledge and confess, that since all men had lost innocence by Adam's prevarication, and had become unclean, and as the Apostle says, 'by nature children of wrath,' as is expressed in the decree on original sin, they were so completely the slaves of sin, and under the power of the devil and of death, that neither could the Gentiles be liberated or rise again by the power of nature, nor even the Jews, by the letter of the law of Moses. Nevertheless, free will was not wholly extinct in them, though weakened and bowed down.

II. Dispensation and Mystery of the Advent of Christ.

"Whence it came to pass, that when the blessed fulness of time came, the heavenly Father, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, sent to men Christ Jesus his Son, who had been spoken of and promised by many holy men, both before the law and during the time of the law; that he might redeem the Jews, who were under the law, that the Gentiles who had not followed after justice might attain to justice, and that all might receive the adop tion of sons. Him hath God set forth as a propitiation for our sins, through faith in his blood; yet not for our sins only, but also for those of the whole world.

III. Who are justified by Christ.

"But though he died for all, yet all receive not the benefit of his death, but those only to whom the merit of his passion is imparted. For as men could not be born unrighteous, were they not the seed of Adam, contracting real guilt by being his posterity; so, unless they were renewed in Christ, they would never be justified, since that renewal is bestowed upon them by the merit of his passion, through grace, by which grace they become just. For this blessing the apostle exhorts us always to give thanks to God the Father, who hath made us worthy to be partakers of the lot of the saints in light, hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into