Fuel for the Fire

Here is a novel post for this blog.  I have decided that a particularly bad bit of literature should receive mention on my blog.  This particular book I have in mind is Matthew Kelly's Rediscover Catholicism.  This book is everything that a "call" back to Catholicism should NOT be.  It is complete with a blasphemous prologue (likening the direct murder of a young child at the will of his father to the Holy Sacrifice of Our Lord on the Cross wherein He laid down His life by His own consent for our salvation), as well as insipid and presumptuous psuedo-spiritualism throughout.



Works such as these do not "call" people back to Catholicism, these "call" people to immanentism and quietism.  This book offers no doctrinal meat; it reads like a Chicken Soup for the Soul.  There is also no real call to moral goodness in it.  It is mere subjectivist rubbish.

I recommend that anyone who has access to a woodstove to throw this book in when you have the fire hot, or merely use it a few pages at a time to get your wood fire started.  Also, this would be a great tool to get your campfires and bonfires started for the summer camping and outdoors season.

I beg people not to waste their time trying to read this...merely consign it to the fires where it belongs and will do the most good!

Papal Images and Quotations

Heretical Song: "The Supper of the Lord"

I am sure that there is a huge list of different complaints that people have had in the last 40 odd years since the Mass of Pope Paul VI was instituted in the vernacular languages around the Latin Rite world.  Some that come to mind is the close to crushing ignorance in regard to the common prayers and Mass responses in Latin, the ignorance and error regarding the history of the Mass in the Latin Rite, the utter laxity regarding the rubrics and the Roman Missal...and most importantly, the steady introduction of heretical rubbish.

I, myself, have taken part in and observed these complaints (and been a member of the offending side in some of these at one time or another) throughout my life.  Attending a Latin Rite Mass in the Ordinary Form is a real burden and chore to me from the moment of stepping foot in the nave until leaving by the side door after Mass for the last several years.  The novel practices which crop up every few years only to ebb away slowly when they become tiresome to the masses has become a common cycle.  The sheer amount of profanity which surrounds these Ordinary Form Masses is very close to intolerable.  If it were not for the presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist and the precept to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, you wouldn't see me there.

Also, I have noticed this cycle with corrections which the pastors implement in the Parish I attend.  Once that priest is gone (or in some cases even while he is still at the Parish), the condemned and forbidden action is resumed as if it were never condemned.  There is a specific event in mind at this point, since it is the second time, to my recollection, since the pastor of four or five years ago forbade the singing of a particular song as written in the missalette that this song has been sung as written.  Now, this pastor who forbade the singing of the song as written has since moved on to bigger things, but never did he unbind his ruling.  On top of that, the song in question is heretical as written.

I am sure a lot of people who attend the Ordinary Form of the Latin Rite Mass in English have experienced the song "The Supper of the Lord" by Laurence Rosania and may have even blindly sung along with it (wrongly).  However, in the very first of the song, in the refrain, it features the lyrics "Precious Body, Precious Blood, here in bread and wine."  These words feature the heretical Lutheran (false) notion of the result of the process which confects the Eucharist.  Now it is true that the Lutherans do not have valid orders and their ministers do not objectively confect the Eucharist at all, but the point here is that the error presented in the song is the same erroneous and heretical belief that the Lutherans have regarding the Eucharist.

The Holy Council of Trent (in its 13th Session) binds our belief as those professing to be Catholic that it is the whole substance of the bread and the whole substance of the wine which is converted into the whole substance of Christ (Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity) under every part and visible particle thereof.  This is called Transubstantiation.  There is no bread left behind.  There is no wine left behind.  There is only the appearance of bread and wine veiling the real, true and substantial presence of Christ, His Divine Majesty.

The Lutherans teach that both the substance of the bread and wine are there, and the substance of Our Lord becomes present together at the point of consecration.  This false doctrine is called consubstantiation.  It is an admission that Our Lord shares the substance of the bread and wine...as if that were even conceivable in anything other than parroted words.  Our Lord's Body and Blood are not "here in bread and wine."

The second canon of the 13th Session of the Holy Council of Trent admonishes us (as those who profess to be Catholic) that we must be very careful what we say in this regard:

Canon II. If any one saith, that, in the Sacred and Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, the substance of the bread and wine remains conjointly with the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and denieth that wonderful and singular conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the Body, and of the whole substance of the wine into the Blood - the species only of the bread and wine remaining - which conversion indeed the Catholic Church most aptly calls Transubstantiation; let him be anathema.

Now, I am not saying that those who sing this song certainly anathematize themselves, but I am suggesting that singing this song as written could lead up to that happening.  The song is not an explicit denial of Transubstantiation, but an implicit one.  It IS dangerous.  It breaks down the mental barriers between revealed truth and pretense or falsehood.

It is hard to believe that pastors allow this song to be sung at all, but not surprising when one notes the numerous other goings-on at these Parishes.  I really do hope that someday we return to the traditional hymns, sacred polyphony and Gregorian chant universally, but I don't honestly think that is happening in my lifetime.

-- Nicole

The Roman Pontiff and Automatic Loss of Office

Comments are always welcome:

The question comes up almost inevitably in the realm of so-called "traditional catholicism" as to whether the Pope who becomes heretical or an heretic can and does either depose himself from the Apostolic See or is deposed by the force of law, etc.  There are also numerous permutations and combinations of different snippets of opinions and personal and/or subjective beliefs resulting in other questions composed along this same vein.  Often the resultant discussions between self-proclaimed seekers of truth on this subject results in discordant railing and contention.  I believe this is due mainly to the ill-defined terms used casually at the start of the so-called truth seeking discussion and the fact that the seekers are mostly seeking to rationalize their own evil.

However, I do believe also that this question[s] is entirely solvable within the scope of what the Church teaches applied rationally.

First of all, the question to be addressed must be defined.  I would think it best to start at the "essence" of the matter, that is, the basic "whatness" or "quidity."  What is the essential issue in question?  As far as I can see in all of my own searches on the subject the essential issue is: Can the Pope be deposed from the Apostolic See in actuality, not merely in appearance?

The answer is a certain "no" when faced with the knowledge of Papal Primacy and Supremacy.  There is no one on earth who could depose him in actuality.  Christ, His Divine Majesty, could deign to remove the man from the Papacy by calling him to his death and judgment.  The Pope himself could cede his throne by abdication.  However, nothing, neither man nor sterile law, could depose the Supreme Pontiff from the Apostolic See.  There is no provision for this action in any binding Church doctrine.  If one asks for such binding doctrine, all he will receive is statements of theologians (which in and of themselves bind no one).

I will now ramble a bit regarding what I've picked up along the course of the way to seeing what people mean when they discuss this subject: There are many who argue that it is by the power and authority of the Roman Pontiff in binding law upon the Church earth (which they remind would also be bound in heaven) that he deposes himself from the Apostolic See when he commits the sin of heresy.  They say that when the Pope transgresses specific canons in the Code of Canon Law (1917) he automatically loses his office.  This is a clever bit of sophistry, I think.  A superficial glance at this suggestion appears to end the discussion, bringing on a wave of despair as the one who is taken in realizes that the logical conclusion to this is the rending of the seamless garment which is the doctrine of the Church and the basket coming down on the light, the beacon on the hillside, which is the visible Church of Christ.  However, if one were really to look at these suggestions in any detail, one would see that if these suggestions were a bucket, that bucket would not hold any water.

The Roman Pontiff rules Church Law.  In this temporal world, the law does not bind the one who rules the law, as everything in time is subject to change.  The Pope, himself, is only bound to obey his law insofar as he would be bound to hold his hands together once he decided to do so (and no one can judge him evil for dropping his hands, as no one else has the authority to pass judgment upon the prudential judgment of his superior; one can only judge the fruit of the action).  As soon as there is good reason for him to un-clasp his hands, he can and would do so.  Canon Law, Church Law and the law of the Roman Pontiff are all the same.  These are the man-made laws used to regulate the governance of the Church of Christ throughout the world.  There is a codex of such law for both the Latin Church and the Eastern Church in communion with the Roman Pontiff.  However, this law is not the same as the immutable divine law revealed and bound by Christ, His Divine Majesty, through His Church.  The immutable divine law cannot be transgressed without commission of grave sin (or mortal sin if the grave matter is committed with full knowledge and consent of the will) and the divine law cannot be changed, revised or removed.  However, there IS allowance within the mutable law of the Church for some of the individual laws not to be observed in specific places.  There is also allowance within the mutable codex of Canon Law for changes, revisions or removal of canons.  This is evident in the long development of Canon Law over a great part of Church history as well as seen most clearly within the last century with the advent of the CIC 1917 and then the CIC 1983. 

The canons (CIC 1917) most often brought up are can.s 188.4, 2314, 1325.2 as evidence that the Successor of Peter is subject to canonical penalties (as if) including the automatic deposition of the office.  Often these canons are presented in someone's English translation and/or interpretation which is not in keeping with the original sense of the canons.  This makes the subject even more problematic to discuss with a person, though, it does not deter those of good will who are actually seeking the truth from getting to the bottom of all of this.  The fact is, these canons have nothing to do at all with the automatic deposition of the Roman Pontiff whether by force of law or by fact of binding doctrine concerning morals.

These canons can be viewed online in Latin at: http://www.jgray.org/codes/cic17lat.html or in English by consulting the translation by Dr. E. Peters (http://www.amazon.com/1917-Pio-Benedictine-Code-Canon-Law/dp/0898708311/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330203258&sr=8-1).

I will not give my own personal translation of these canons, but will give a brief explanation:

Canon 188 deals with a situation in which there is not any disagreement between parties (the Church and the agent) and therefore there is no need to make a declaration regarding the resignation; the renunciation/resignation of the ecclesiastical office is done by unspoken agreement.

4º deals with a public defection from the Catholic faith.  A defection is committed when one deserts or revolts from an institution to which he belongs, renounces his ties to it and goes elsewhere.  Maintaining the outward appearance of association or communion with the Catholic Church is not compatible with a defection from it, whether public or private.  Public defection from the Catholic faith is not the same on all counts as heresy.  Acts of heresy do not have to be public, nor, if they are public, do they have to manifest an intention to leave the Catholic Church or the Catholic faith.

Canon 188.4 does not support the notion that a Pope may be automatically deprived or deposed by force of law.  As far as I can see, can. 188.4 has nothing to do with "automatic deposition" effected by force of law whatsoever.

2314.1:  There are three distinct provisions made here.  The first is made regarding the "ipso facto" excommunication of anyone who is an apostate from the Christian faith, and each and everyone who is an heretic or schismatic.  The second is made regarding all apostates "a christiana fide," and each and every heretic and schismatic who do not repent after monition, that after warning and lack of repentance of said crimes, may be deprived of position in the Church and declared infamous.  This second provision also makes an exception for those who are clerics, ordering a reiteration of the monition against them, which if then unheeded, they may be deposed.  The third provision is made regarding the apostate, heretic, or schismatic, as cited above, with the inclusion of the notion of defection to a non-Catholic sect or public adherence in the non-Catholic sect causing a penalty of ipso facto infamy.  This third provision also makes an exception in regard to clerics, that they are to be degraded if warnings to them are fruitless.  It is only this third provision which cites canon 188.4 as a prescript, since only this third provision would deal with a defection, likely public, from the Catholic faith.

Canon 2314.1 completely puts to bed the notion of a Pope, or any cleric for that matter, being automatically deposed by force of law.  Can. 2314.1.1 deals with deposition not at all.  Can. 2314.1.2 demands a warning and a reiteration before depositional action can take place, and it is certainly not provided to be automatic deposition.  Can 2314.1.3 lays a penalty, by the fact of transgression, of infamy on offenders, but only a penalty of degradation by the fact of the result of fruitless monitions to the cleric, not deposition automatically.  Can 2314.1.3 does point back to Can. 188.4 in the case that the defection from the Catholic faith is a public one, but it doesn't define every transgression against provision three as automatically against 188.4.

1325.2:  This is merely a definition of heresy, apostasy and schism which helps one understand the application of the terms in canon 2314.

Going on, something else that causes a problem in the discussion is that those who are adherents to the notion that the Roman Pontiff could be deposed from his office whether automatically or by another power cannot show that the Church has prepared for this very irregular situation.  It would stand to reason that the institution of His Divine Majesty would have some "contingency" plan in case His vicar went rogue and either deposed himself or needed to be deposed.  It would also stand to reason that amongst the numerous Popes that have ruled the Church in the past, there would be a record of even some small number who had been deposed, if this were possible.  However, the number of those Pontiffs deposed in the past looms frighteningly at zero.

Some people do speak up at this and say, "but what about Pope Liberius in the days of St. Athanasius??  He was deposed, and for heresy!"  I answer, "In appearance only was he deposed, not in actuality."  The situation of Pope Liberius was merely a political ploy for the emperor to get a more favorable man in power over the Church and, to this day, the man taking the name Felix II, who was installed in the place of Pope Liberius, is held and remembered as an anti-pope.  Also, when Pope Liberius returned to the Holy See, the laity rose up against the anti-pope to whom they showed no loyalty, and rode Felix II out on a rail so to speak, but welcomed their beloved Pope Liberius back with much loyalty.  He was not manifestly an heretic, but was rather expelled from Rome by the emperor for upholding the definition of faith made at Nicaea and for refusing to condemn St. Athanasius.

History shows in the treatment of Popes who are judged either to be anathema or damnatio memoriae, they also are not subject to deposition either by force of law or by some higher earthly authority (since there is none).  Cases in point are those of Popes Honorius and Formosus who are still to this day held to be Popes with no mention of having been deposed.

Finally, in conclusion of all of this, holding the position that the Pope can either depose himself, be deposed by force of law, or be deposed by a greater temporal power offends logic.  This position is opposed to the Papal Primacy as taught in the First Vatican Council.  This position is opposed to a visible Church, as once the Supreme Pontiff does something to depose himself in a little known or occult way, no one knows who the Pope is, or who is a bishop if this deposed "pope" goes on to consecrate bishops, or who is a cardinal if this deposed "pope" goes on to raise men to the dignity of cardinal, etc.  This creates an impossible situation in which the Church of Christ is ruptured and failed in the sense that it can no longer perpetuate itself.  Sweeping aside all of the sophistries and specious reasonings of canonists and theologians and going to the essence of the subject and weighing it against doctrine we are bound to believe (especially if it is that which binds belief by divine and Catholic faith) solves the question completely.



-- Nicole

Guess who...?

Pope St. Zosimus, Baptism and Binding Belief

I believe the statement:

"It has been decided likewise that if anyone says that for this reason the Lord said: ‘In my Father’s house there are many mansions’: that it might be understood that in the kingdom of heaven there will be some middle place or some place anywhere else the blessed infants live who departed from this life without baptism, without which they cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven, which is life eternal, let him be anathema. For when the Lord says: ‘Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he shall not enter into the kingdom of God’, what Catholic will doubt that he will be a partner of the devil who has not deserved to be a coheir of Christ? For he who lacks the right part will without doubt run to the left."

by Pope St. Zosimus at the Council of Carthage XVI, can. 3, is binding universally on the faithful.

Support for statement of belief:

1) First Vatican Council:

"...the fathers of the fourth council of Constantinople, following the footsteps of their predecessors, published this solemn profession of faith: The first condition of salvation is to maintain the rule of the true faith. And since that saying of our lord Jesus Christ, You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, cannot fail of its effect, the words spoken are confirmed by their consequences. For in the apostolic see the catholic religion has always been preserved unblemished, and sacred doctrine been held in honour. Since it is our earnest desire to be in no way separated from this faith and doctrine, we hope that we may deserve to remain in that one communion which the apostolic see preaches, for in it is the whole and true strength of the christian religion. What is more, with the approval of the second council of Lyons, the Greeks made the following profession: The holy Roman church possesses the supreme and full primacy and principality over the whole catholic church. She truly and humbly acknowledges that she received this from the Lord himself in blessed Peter, the prince and chief of the apostles, whose successor the Roman pontiff is, together with the fullness of power. And since before all others she has the duty of defending the truth of the faith, so if any questions arise concerning the faith, it is by her judgment that they must be settled. Then there is the definition of the council of Florence: The Roman pontiff is the true vicar of Christ, the head of the whole church and the father and teacher of all Christians; and to him was committed in blessed Peter, by our lord Jesus Christ, the full power of tending, ruling and governing the whole church."

My own words:

If the Roman Pontiff so defines that anyone who says such-and-such is anathema (i.e., cursed and judged already acc. to the Second Council of Constantinople; i.e., committed to death acc. to the Fourth Council of Constantinople), since an anathema is a statement of judgment, we are universally bound to believe it and hold anyone who says such-and-such is, in fact, anathema. It is by the judgment of the Roman Pontiff that matters concerning the faith are settled.

2) Fourth Council of Constantinople:

"Therefore we declare that we are preserving and maintaining the canons which have been entrusted to the holy, catholic and apostolic church by the holy and renowned apostles, and by universal as well as local councils of orthodox [bishops], and even by any inspired father or teacher of the church. Consequently, we rule our own life and conduct by these canons and we decree that all those who have the rank of priests and all those who are described by the name of Christian are, by ecclesiastical law, included under the penalties and condemnations as well as, on the other hand, the absolutions and acquittals which have been imposed and defined by them. For Paul, the great apostle, openly urges us to preserve the traditions which we have received, either by word or by letter, of the saints who were famous in times past."

My own words:

If the Roman Pontiff has put forth a canon, even at a local council, we are still bound to rule our own life and conduct by it.

However, there is an added dimension to the whole consideration of how this canon binds us when it comes from the Holy Father himself; one would have to consider whether he is speaking ex Cathedra:

I believe that this canon put forth under the authority of the Holy Father, the Roman Pontiff, is universally binding on the assent of faith of the faithful.

Support for statement of belief:

1) First Vatican Council:

"The Roman Pontiffs, too, as the circumstances of the time or the state of affairs suggested, sometimes by summoning Ecumenical Councils or consulting the opinion of the churches scattered throughout the world, sometimes by special Synods, sometimes by taking advantage of other useful means afforded by divine providence, defined as doctrines to be held those things which, by God’s help, they knew to be in keeping with Sacred Scripture and the Apostolic Traditions.

"For the Holy Spirit was promised to the successors of Peter not so that they might, by His revelation, make known some new doctrine, but that, by His assistance, they might religiously guard and faithfully expound the revelation or deposit of faith transmitted by the Apostles. Indeed, their Apostolic teaching was embraced by all the venerable Fathers and reverenced and followed by all the Holy Orthodox Doctors, for they knew very well that this See of St. Peter always remains unblemished by any error, in accordance with the divine promise of our Lord and Saviour to the Prince of his disciples: I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren.

"This gift of truth and never-failing faith was therefore divinely conferred on Peter and his successors in this see so that they might discharge their exalted office for the salvation of all, and so that the whole flock of Christ might be kept away by them from the poisonous food of error and be nourished with the sustenance of heavenly doctrine. Thus the tendency to schism is removed and the whole Church is preserved in unity, and, resting on its foundation, can stand firm against the gates of hell.

"But since in this very age when the salutary effectiveness of the Apostolic Office is most especially needed, not a few are to be found who disparage its authority, We judge it absolutely necessary to affirm solemnly the prerogative which the only-begotten Son of God was pleased to attach to the Supreme Pastoral Office.

"Therefore, faithfully adhering to the tradition received from the beginning of the Christian faith, to the glory of God our Saviour, for the exaltation of the Catholic religion and for the salvation of the Christian people, with the approval of the Sacred Council, We teach and define as a divinely revealed dogma that when the Roman Pontiff speaks ex Cathedra, that is, when, in the exercise of his office as shepherd and teacher of all Christians, in virtue of his Supreme Apostolic Authority, he defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole Church, he possesses, by the divine assistance promised to him in blessed Peter, that infallibility which the divine Redeemer willed His Church to enjoy in defining doctrine concerning faith or morals. Therefore, such definitions of the Roman Pontiff are of themselves, and not by the consent of the Church, irreformable. So then, should anyone, which God forbid, have the temerity to reject this definition of ours: let him be anathema."

My own words:

The sixteenth Council of Carthage was a local synod whose canons were approved by Pope St. Zosimus in 418. It contained the same canons of a previous local synod at which St. Augustine was present, the second Council of Mileum, which were approved by Pope Innocent in 416.

Pope St. Zosimus was not present at the Council of Carthage XVI, but its canons were referred to him for his approval. These canons were not being sent to the Bishop of Rome as if he were merely the Metropolitan Bishop of that region; Carthage was considered the head of Africa at the time and therefore the head Bishop of Carthage would have been the Metropolitan. Referring the canons to Pope St. Zosimus would only make sense if it was for him to act in his capacity of "shepherd and teacher of all Christians," that is, as the supreme pontiff, since the Bishop of Rome is not part of the local hierarchy of Africa, but the visible head of the universal hierarchy. In his office as shepherd and teacher of all Christians, then, he approved these canons.

The action of Pope St. Zosimus' approval in the case of the canons of the sixteenth Council of Carthage would also have to be "in virtue of his supreme apostolic authority." If the African bishops are going to anathematize an indefinite group of people who fall under the canons of the council, they would have to be certain that the judgment they settled upon was correct, and therefore need to have recourse to the See where faith can know no failing, or otherwise cause schisms because they would anathemize those with whom their brother bishops outside of Africa could licitly keep communion.

Pope St. Zosimus' approval of the canons in his office of shepherd and teacher of all Christians, in virtue of his supreme apostolic authority, in which a doctrine concerning faith or morals is defined, makes the canons his own. That means that the Pope himself is defining what is written in canon 3a. This canon defines two things: a doctrine concerning faith, that is, without baptism one cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven; and a doctrine concerning morals, that is, we must believe a person who says that the Lord said: ‘In my Father’s house there are many mansions’ so that it might be understood "that in the kingdom of heaven there will be some middle place or some place anywhere else the blessed infants live who departed from this life without baptism" is anathema and are thereby bound to apply the Church's regulations when dealing with such a person (as found in the canons of the second Council of Constantinople #s 11, 13, 14), which is to anathematize him ourselves.

If the fathers of the Council of Carthage XVI were looking only for an approval binding on a specific locality (Africa) the canons, then that locality would have to be defined in the canon and not left indefinite such as in canon 3a where it begins "It has been decided likewise that if anyone says...let him be anathema." Since the canon is left indefinite in the version which is approved by the Pope, then it is obvious he is binding it to be held by the whole Church.

Fifth and Sixth Sessions of the Council of Trent

These do not include the decrees on the reformation:

The Fifth Session
Celebrated on the seventeenth day of the month of June, in the year 1546.
Decree Concerning Original Sin.
That our Catholic faith, without which it is impossible to please God, may, errors being purged away, continue in its own perfect and spotless integrity, and that the Christian people may not be carried about with every wind of doctrine; whereas that old serpent, the perpetual enemy of mankind, amongst the very many evils with which the Church of God is in these our times troubled, has also stirred up not only new, but even old, dissensions touching original sin, and the remedy thereof; the Sacred and Holy, Oecumenical and General Synod of Trent, - lawfully assembled in the Holy Ghost, the three same legates of the Apostolic See presiding therein, - wishing now to come to the reclaiming of the erring, and the confirming of the wavering, - following the testimonies of the Sacred Scriptures, of the Holy Fathers, of the most approved Councils, and the judgment and consent of the Church itself, ordains, confesses, and declares these things touching the said original sin:

1. If any one does not confess that the first man, Adam, when he had transgressed the commandment of God in Paradise, immediately lost the holiness and justice wherein he had been constituted; and that he incurred, through the offence of that prevarication, the wrath and indignation of God, and consequently death, with which God had previously threatened him, and, together with death, captivity under his power who thenceforth had the empire of death, that is to say, the devil, and that the entire Adam, through that offence of prevarication, was changed, in body and soul, for the worse; let him be anathema.

2. If any one asserts, that the prevarication of Adam injured himself alone, and not his posterity; and that the holiness and justice, received of God, which he lost, he lost for himself alone, and not for us also; or that he, being defiled by the sin of disobedience, has only transfused death, and pains of the body, into the whole human race, but not sin also, which is the death of the soul; let him be anathema: - whereas he contradicts the Apostle who says; By one man sin entered into the world, and by sin, death, and so death passed upon all men, in whom all have sinned.

3. If any one asserts, that this sin of Adam, - which in its origin is one, and being transfused into all by propogation, not by imitation, is in each one as his own, - is taken away either by the powers of human nature, or by any other remedy than the merit of the one Mediator, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath reconciled us to God in His own Blood, made unto us justice, santification, and redemption; or if he denies that the said merit of Jesus Christ is applied, both to adults and to infants, by the Sacrament of Baptism rightly administered in the form of the Church; let him be anathema: For there is no other name under heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved. Whence that voice; Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him Who taketh away the sins of the world; and that other; As many as have been baptized, have put on Christ.

4. If any one denies, that infants, newly born from their mothers' wombs, even though they be sprung from baptized parents, are to be baptized; or says that they are baptized indeed for the remission of sins, but that they derive nothing of original sin from Adam, which has need of being expiated by the laver of regeneration for the obtaining life everlasting, - whence it follows as a consequence, that in them the form of Baptism, for the remission of sins, is understood to be not true, but false, - let him be anathema. For that which the Apostle has said, By one man sin entered into the world, and by sin, death, and so death passed upon all men in whom all have sinned, is not to be understood otherwise than as the Catholic Church spread everywhere hath always understood it. For, by reason of this rule of faith, from a Tradition of the Apostles, even infants, who could not as yet commit any sin of themselves, are for this cause truly baptized for the remission of sins, that in them that may be cleansed away by regeneration, which they have contracted by generation. For, unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

5. If any one denies, that, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is conferred in Baptism, the guilt of original sin is remitted; or even asserts that the whole of that which has the true and proper nature of sin is not taken away; but says that it is only rased, or not imputed; let him be anathema. For, in those who are born again, there is nothing that God hates; because, There is no condemnation to those who are truly buried together with Christ by Baptism into death; who walk not according to the flesh, but, putting off the old man, and putting on the new who is created according to God, are made innocent, immaculate, pure, harmless, and beloved of God, heirs indeed of God, but joint heirs with Christ; so that there is nothing whatever to retard their entrance into heaven. But this Holy Synod confesses and is sensible, that in the baptized there remains concupiscence, or an incentive (to sin); which, whereas it is left for our exercise, cannot injure those who consent not, but resist manfully by the grace of Jesus Christ; yea, he who shall have striven lawfully shall be crowned. This concupiscence, which the Apostle sometimes calls sin, the Holy Synod declares that the Catholic Church has never understood it to be called sin, as being truly and properly sin in those born again, but because it is of sin, and inclines to sin.

This same Holy Synod doth nevertheless declare, that it is not its intention to include in this decree, where original sin is treated of, the Blessed and Immaculate Virgin Mary, the Mother of God; but that the constitutions of Pope Sixtus IV, of happy memory, are to be observed, under the pains contained in the said constitutions, which it renews.

The Sixth Session
Celebrated on the thirteenth day of the month of January, 1547.
Decree on Justification.
Proem.

Whereas there is, at this time, not without the shipwreck of many souls, and grievous detriment to the unity of the Church, a certain erroneous doctrine disseminated touching Justification; the Sacred and Holy, Oecumenical and General Synod of Trent, lawfully assembled in the Holy Ghost, - the Most Reverend Lords, Giammaria del Monte, Bishop of Palaestrina, and Marcellus of the title of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, priest, cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, and Apostolic Legates a latere, presiding therein, in the name of our Most Holy Father and Lord in Christ, Paul III., by the providence of God, Pope, - purposes, unto the praise and glory of Almighty God, the tranquillising of the Church, and the salvation of souls, to expound to all the faithful of Christ the true and sound doctrine touching the said Justification; which (doctrine) the Sun of justice, Christ Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, taught, which the Apostles transmitted, and which the Catholic Church, the Holy Ghost reminding her thereof, has always retained; most strictly forbidding that any henceforth presume to believe, preach, or teach, otherwise than as by this present decree is defined and declared.

Chapter I.

On the Inability of Nature and of the Law to Justify Man.

The Holy Synod declares first, that, for the correct and sound understanding of the doctrine of Justification, it is necessary that each one recognise and confess, that, whereas all men had lost their innocence in the prevarication of Adam - having become unclean, and, as the Apostle says, by nature children of wrath, as (this Synod) has set forth in the decree on original sin, - they were so far the servants of sin, and under the power of the devil and of death, that not the Gentiles only by the force of nature, but not even the Jews by the very letter itself of the law of Moses, were able to be liberated, or to arise, therefrom; although free will, attenuated as it was in its powers, and bent down, was by no means extinguished in them.

Chapter II.

On the Dispensation and Mystery of Christ's Advent.

Whence it came to pass, that the heavenly Father, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, when that blessed fulness of the time was come, sent unto men, Jesus Christ, His own Son - Who had been, both before the Law, and during the time of the Law, to many of the Holy Fathers announced and promised - that He might both redeem the Jews who were under the Law, and that the Gentiles, who followed not after justice, might attain to justice, and that all men might receive the adoption of sons. Him God hath proposed as a propitiator, through faith in His Blood, for our sins, and not for our sins only, but also for those of the whole world.

Chapter III.

Who are Justified through Christ.

But, though He died for all, yet do not all receive the benefit of His death, but those only unto whom the merit of His Passion is communicated. For as in truth men, if they were not born propagated of the seed of Adam, would not be born unjust, - seeing that, by that propagation, they contract through him, when they are conceived, injustice as their own, - so, if they were not born again in Christ, they never would be justified; seeing that, in that new birth, there is bestowed upon them, through the merit of His Passion, the grace whereby they are made just. For this benefit the Apostle exhorts us, evermore to give thanks to the Father, Who hath made us worthy to be partakers of the lot of the saints in light, and hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of His love, in Whom we have redemption, and remission of sins.

Chapter IV.

A Description is Introduced of the Justification of the Impious, and of the Manner thereof under the Law of Grace.

By which words, a description of the Justification of the impious is indicated, - as being a translation, from that state wherein man is born a child of the first Adam, to the state of grace, and of the adoption of the sons of God, through the second Adam, Jesus Christ, our Saviour. And this translation, since the promulgation of the Gospel, cannot be effected, without the laver of regeneration, or the desire thereof, as it is written; unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.

Chapter V.

On the Necessity, in Adults, of Preparation for Justification, and whence it Proceeds.
The Synod furthermore declares, that in adults, the beginning of the said Justification is to be derived from the prevenient grace of God, through Jesus Christ, that is to say, from His vocation, whereby, without any merits existing on their parts, they are called; that so they, who by sins were alienated from God, may be disposed through His quickening and assisting grace, to convert themselves to their own Justification, by freely assenting to and co-operating with that said grace: in such sort that, while God touches the heart of man by the illumination of the Holy Ghost, neither is man himself utterly without doing anything while he receives that inspiration, forasmuch as he is also able to reject it; yet is he not able, by his own free will, without the grace of God, to move himself unto justice in His sight. Whence, when it is said in the Sacred Writings: Turn ye to Me, and I will turn to you, we are admonished of our liberty; and when we answer; Convert us, O Lord, to Thee, and we shall be converted, we confess that we are prevented by the grace of God.

Chapter VI.

The Manner of Preparation.

Now they (adults) are disposed unto the said justice, when, excited and assisted by divine grace, conceiving faith by hearing, they are freely moved towards God, believing those things to be true which God has revealed and promised, - and this especially, that God justifies the impious by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; and when, understanding themselves to be sinners, they, by turning themselves, from the fear of divine justice whereby they are profitably agitated, to consider the mercy of God, are raised unto hope, confiding that God will be propitious to them for Christ's sake; and they begin to love Him as the Fountain of all justice; and are therefore moved against sins by a certain hatred and detestation, to wit, by that penitence which must be performed before Baptism: lastly, when they purpose to receive Baptism, to begin a new life, and to keep the commandments of God. Concerning this disposition it is written; He that cometh to God, must believe that He is, and is a Rewarder to them that seek Him; and, Be of good faith, son, thy sins are forgiven thee; and, The fear of the Lord driveth out sin; and, Do penance, and be Baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost; and, Going, therefore, teach ye all nations, Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; finally, Prepare your hearts unto the Lord.

Chapter VII.

What the Justification of the Impious Is, and What Are the Causes thereof.

This disposition, or preparation, is followed by Justification itself, which is not remission of sins merely, but also the sanctification and renewal of the inward man, through the voluntary reception of the grace, and of the gifts, whereby man of unjust becomes just, and of an enemy a friend, that so he may be an heir according to hope of life everlasting.
Of this Justification the causes are these: the final cause indeed is the glory of God and of Jesus Christ, and life everlasting; while the efficient cause is a merciful God Who washes and sanctifies gratuitously, signing, and anointing with the Holy Spirit of promise, Who is the pledge of our inheritance; but the meritorious cause is His Most Beloved Only-Begotten, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who, when we were enemies, for the exceeding charity wherewith He loved us, merited Justification for us by His Most Holy Passion on the wood of the Cross, and made satisfaction for us unto God the Father; the instrumental cause is the Sacrament of Baptism, which is the Sacrament of faith, without which (faith) no man was ever justified; lastly, the alone formal cause is the justice of God, not that whereby He Himself is just, but that whereby He maketh us just, that, to wit, with which we being endowed by Him, are renewed in the spirit of our mind, and we are not only reputed, but are truly called, and are, just, receiving justice within us, each one according to his own measure, which the Holy Ghost distributes to everyone as He wills, and according to each one's proper disposition and co-operation. For, although no one can be just, but he to whom the merits of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ are communicated, yet is this done in the said Justification of the impious, when by the merit of that same Most Holy Passion, the charity of God is poured forth, by the Holy Spirit, in the hearts of those that are justified, and is inherent therein: whence, man, through Jesus Christ, in Whom he is ingrafted, receives, in the said Justification, together with the remission of sins, all these (gifts) infused at once, faith, hope, and charity. For faith, unless hope and charity be added thereto, neither unites man perfectly with Christ, nor makes him a living member of His Body. For which reason it is most truly said, that faith without works is dead and profitless; and, In Christ Jesus neither circumcision, availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by charity. This faith, Catechumen's beg of the Church -agreeably to a Tradition of the Apostles - previously to the Sacrament of Baptism; when they beg for the faith which bestows life everlasting, which, without hope and charity, faith cannot bestow: whence also do they immediately hear that word of Christ; If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. Wherefore, when receiving true and Christian justice, they are bidden, immediately on being born again, to preserve it pure and spotless, as the first robe given them through Jesus Christ in lieu of that which Adam, by his disobedience, lost for himself and for us, that so they may bear it before the judgment-seat of our Lord Jesus Christ, and may have life everlasting.

Chapter VIII.

In What Manner It Is To Be Understood, That the Impious Is Justified by Faith, and Gratuitously.

And whereas the Apostle saith, that man is justified by faith and freely, those words are to be understood in that sense which the perpetual consent of the Catholic Church hath held and expressed; to wit, that we are therefore said to be justified by faith, because faith is the beginning of human salvation, the foundation, and the root of all Justification; without which it is impossible to please God, and to come unto the fellowship of His sons: but we are therefore said to be justified freely, because that none of those things which precede justification - whether faith or works - merit the grace itself of justification. For, if it be a grace, it is not now by works, otherwise, as the same Apostle says, grace is no more grace.

Chapter IX.

Against the Vain Confidence of Heretics.

But, although it is necessary to believe that sins neither are remitted, nor ever were remitted save gratuitously by the mercy of God for Christ's sake; yet is it not to be said, that sins are forgiven, or have been forgiven, to any one who boasts of his confidence and certainty of the remission of his sins, and rests on that alone; seeing that it may exist, yea does in our day exist, amongst heretics and schismatics; and with great vehemence is this vain confidence, and one alien from all godliness, preached up in opposition to the Catholic Church. But neither is this to be asserted, - that they who are truly justified must needs, without any doubting whatever, settle within themselves that they are justified, and that no one is absolved from sins and justified, but he that believes for certain that he is absolved and justified; and that absolution and Justification are effected by this faith alone: as though whoso has not this belief, doubts of the promises of God, and of the efficacy of the death and resurrection of Christ. For even as no pious person ought to doubt of the mercy of God, of the merit of Christ, and of the virtue and efficacy of the Sacraments, even so each one, when he regards himself, and his own weakness and indisposition, may have fear and apprehension touching his own grace; seeing that no one can know with a certainty of faith, which cannot be subject to error, that he has obtained the grace of God.

Chapter X.

On the Increase of Justification Received.

Having, therefore, been thus justified, and made the friends and domestics of God, advancing from virtue to virtue, they are renewed, as the Apostle says, day by day; that is, by mortifying the members of their own flesh, and by presenting them as instruments of justice unto sanctification, they, through the observance of the commandments of God and of the Church, faith co-operating with good works, increase in that justice which they have received through the grace of Christ, and are still further justified, as it is written; He that is just, let him be justified still; and again, Be not afraid to be justified even to death; and also, Do you see that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. And this increase of Justification Holy Church begs, when she prays, "Give unto us, O Lord, increase of faith, hope, and charity."

Chapter XI.

On Keeping the Commandments, and on the Necessity and Possibility thereof.

But no one, how much soever justified, ought to think himself exempt from the observance of the commandments; no one ought to make use of that rash saying, one prohibited by the Fathers under an anathema, - that the observance of the commandments of God is impossible for one that is justified. For God commands not impossibilities, but, by commanding, both admonishes thee to do what thou are able, and to pray for what thou art not able (to do), and aids thee that thou mayest be able; whose commandments are not heavy; whose yoke is sweet and whose burthen light. For, whoso are the sons of God, love Christ; but they who love Him, keep His commandments, as Himself testifies; which, assuredly, with the divine help, they can do. For, although, during this mortal life, men, how holy and just soever, at times fall into at least light and daily sins, which are also called venial, not therefore do they cease to be just. For that cry of the just, Forgive us our trespasses, is both humble and true. And for this cause, the just themselves ought to feel themselves the more obligated to walk in the way of justice, in that, being already freed from sins, but made servants of God, they are able, living soberly, justly, and godly, to proceed onwards through Jesus Christ, by Whom they have had access unto this grace. For God forsakes not those who have been once justified by His grace, unless He be first forsaken by them. Wherefore, no one ought to flatter himself up with faith alone, fancying that by faith alone he is made an heir, and will obtain the inheritance, even though he suffer not with Christ, that so he may be also glorified with Him. For even Christ Himself, as the Apostle saith, Whereas He was the Son of God, learned obedience by the things which He suffered, and being consummated, He became, to all who obey Him, the Cause of eternal salvation. For which cause the same Apostle admonishes the justified, saying; Know you not that they that run in the race, all run indeed, but one receiveth the prize? So run that you may obtain. I therefore so run, not as at an uncertainty: I so fight, not as one beating the air, but I chastise my body, and bring it into subjection; lest perhaps, when I have preached to others, I myself should become a cast-away. So also the Prince of the Apostles, Peter; Labour the more that by good works you may make sure your calling and election. For doing those things, you shall not sin at any time. From which it is plain, that those are opposed to the orthodox doctrine of religion, who assert that the just man sins, venially at least, in every good work; or, which is yet more insupportable, that he merits eternal punishments; as also those who state, that the just sin in all their works, if, in those works, they, together with this aim principally that God may be gloried, have in view also the eternal reward, in order to excite their sloth, and to encourage themselves to run in the course: whereas it is written, I have inclined my heart to do all thy justifications for the reward: and, concerning Moses, the Apostle saith, that he looked unto the reward.

Chapter XII.

That a Rash Presumptuousness in the Matter of Predestination Is To Be Avoided.

No one, moreover, so long as he is in this mortal life, ought so far to presume as regards the secret mystery of divine Predestination, as to determine for certain that he is assuredly in the number of the predestinate; as if it were true, that he that is justified, either cannot sin any more, or, if he do sin, that he ought to promise himself an assured repentance; for except by special revelation, it cannot be known whom God hath chosen unto Himself.

Chapter XIII.

On the Gift of Perseverance.

So also as regards the gift of Perseverance, of which it is written, He that shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved: - which gift cannot be derived from any other but Him, Who is able to establish him who standeth that he stand perseveringly, and to restore him who falleth: - let no one herein promise himself any thing as certain with an absolute certainty; though all ought to place and repose a most firm hope in God's help. For God, unless men be themselves wanting to His grace, as He has begun the good work, so will He perfect it, working (in them) to will and to accomplish. Nevertheless, let those who think themselves to stand, take heed lest they fall, and, with fear and trembling work out their salvation, in labours, in watchings, in almsdeeds, in prayers and oblations, in fastings and chastity: for, knowing that they are born again unto a hope of glory, but not as yet unto glory, they ought to fear for the combat which yet remains with the flesh, with the world, with the devil, wherein they cannot be victorious, unless they be with God's grace, obedient to the Apostle, who says; We are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh; for if you live according to the flesh, you shall die; but if by the spirit you mortify the deeds of the flesh, you shall live.

Chapter XIV.

On the Fallen, and Their Restoration.

As regards those who, by sin, have fallen from the received grace of Justification, they may be again justified, when, God exciting them, through the Sacrament of Penance they shall have attained to the recovery, by the merit of Christ, of the grace lost: for this manner of Justification is of the fallen the reparation: which the Holy Fathers have aptly called a second plank after the shipwreck of grace lost. For, on behalf of those who fall into sins after Baptism, Christ Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Penance, when He said, Receive ye the Holy Ghost, whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them, and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained. Whence it is to be taught, that the penitence of a Christian, after his fall, is very different from that at (his) Baptism; and that therein are included not only a cessation from sins, and a detestation thereof, or, a contrite and humble heart, but also the Sacramental Confession of the said sins, - at least in desire, and to be made in its season, - and sacerdotal absolution; and likewise satisfaction by fasts, alms, prayers, and the other pious exercises of a spiritual life; not indeed for the eternal punishment, - which is, together with the guilt, remitted, either by the Sacrament, or by the desire of the Sacrament, - but for the temporal punishment, which, as the Sacred Writings teach, is not always wholly remitted, as is done in Baptism, to those who, ungrateful to the grace of God which they have received, have grieved the Holy Spirit, and have not feared to violate the temple of God. Concerning which penitence it is written; Be mindful whence thou art fallen; do penance, and do the first works. And again; The sorrow that is according to God worketh penance steadfast unto salvation. And again; Do penance, and bring forth fruits worthy of penance.

Chapter XV.

That, by Every Mortal Sin, Grace Is Lost, But Not Faith.

In opposition also to the subtle wits of certain men, who, by pleasing speeches and good words, seduce the hearts of the innocent, it is to be maintained, that the received grace of Justification is lost, not only by infidelity whereby even faith itself is lost, but also by any other mortal sin whatever, though faith be not lost; thus defending the doctrine of the divine law, which excludes from the kingdom of God not only the unbelieving, but the faithful also (who are) fornicators, adulterers, effeminate, liers with mankind, thieves, covetous, drunkards, railers, extortioners, and all others who commit deadly sins; from which, with the help of divine grace, they can refrain, and on account of which they are separated from the grace of Christ.

Chapter XVI.

On the Fruit of Justification, That Is, on the Merit of Good Works, and on the Nature of That Merit.

Before men, therefore, who have been justified in this manner, - whether they have preserved uninterruptedly the grace received, or whether they have recovered it when lost, - are to be set the words of the Apostle: Abound in every good work, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord; for God is not unjust, that He should forget your work, and the love which you have shown in His Name; and, do not lose your confidence, which hath a great reward. And, for this cause, life eternal is to be proposed to those working well unto the end, and hoping in God, both as a grace mercifully promised to the sons of God through Jesus Christ, and as a reward which is according to the promise of God Himself, to be faithfully rendered to their good works and merits. For this is that crown of justice which the Apostle declared was, after his fight and course, laid up for him, to be rendered to him by the Just Judge, and not only to him, but also to all that love His coming. For, whereas Jesus Christ Himself continually infuses His virtue into the said justified, - as the head into the members, and the vine into the branches, - and this virtue always precedes and accompanies and follows their good works, which without it could not in any wise be pleasing and meritorious before God, - we must believe that nothing further is wanting to the justified, to prevent their being accounted to have, by those very works which have been done in God, fully satisfied the divine law according to the state of this life, and to have truly merited eternal life, to be obtained also in its (due) time, if so be, however, that they depart in grace: seeing that Christ, our Saviour, saith: If any one shall drink of the water that I will give him, he shall not thirst for ever; but it shall become in him a fountain of water springing up unto life everlasting. Thus, neither is our own justice established as our own as from ourselves; nor is the justice of God ignored or repudiated: for that justice which is called ours, because that we are justified from its being inherent in us, that same is (the justice) of God, because that it is infused into us of God, through the merit of Christ. Neither is this to be omitted, - that although, in the sacred writings, so much is attributed to good works, that Christ promises, that even He that shall give a drink of cold water to one of His least ones, shall not lose his reward; and the Apostle testifies that, That which is at present momentary and light of our tribulation, worketh for us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight of glory; nevertheless God forbid that a Christian should either trust or glory in himself, and not in the Lord, Whose bounty towards all men is so great, that He will have the things which are His own gifts be their merits. And forasmuch as in many things we all offend, each one ought to have before his eyes, as well the severity and judgment, as the mercy and goodness (of God); neither ought any one to judge himself, even though he be not conscious to himself of anything; because the whole life of man is to be examined and judged, not by the judgment of man, but of God, Who will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then shall every man have praise from God, Who, as it is written, will render to every man according to his works. After this Catholic doctrine on Justification, which whoso receiveth not faithfully and firmly cannot be justified, it hath seemed good to the Holy Synod to subjoin these Canons, that all may know not only what they ought to hold and follow, but also what to avoid and shun.

Justification Canons.

Canon I. If any one saith, that man may be justified before God by his own works, whether done through the teaching of human nature, or that of the law, without the grace of God through Jesus Christ; let him be anathema.

Canon II. If any one saith, that the grace of God, through Jesus Christ, is given only for this, that man may be able more easily to live justly, and to merit eternal life, as if, by free will without grace, he were able to do both, though hardly indeed and with difficulty; let him be anathema.

Canon III. If any one saith, that without the prevenient inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and without His help, man can believe, hope, love, or be penitent as he ought, so as that the grace of Justification may be bestowed upon him; let him be anathema.

Canon IV. If any one saith, that man's free will moved and excited by God, by assenting to God exciting and calling, nowise co-operates towards disposing and preparing itself for obtaining the grace of Justification; that it cannot refuse its consent, if it would, but that, as something inanimate, it does nothing whatever and is merely passive; let him be anathema.

Canon V. If any one saith, that, since Adam's sin, the free will of man is lost and extinguished; or, that it is a thing with only a name, yea a name without a reality, a figment, in fine, introduced into the Church by Satan; let him be anathema.

Canon VI. If any one saith, that it is not in man's power to make his ways evil, but that the works that are evil God worketh as well as those that are good, not permissively only, but properly, and of Himself, in such wise that the treason of Judas is no less His own proper work than the vocation of Paul; let him be anathema.

Canon VII. If any one saith, that all works done before Justification, in whatsoever way they be done, are truly sins, or merit the hatred of God; or that the more earnestly one strives to dispose himself for grace, the more grievously he sins: let him be anathema.

Canon VIII. If any one saith, that the fear of hell, - whereby, by grieving for our sins, we flee unto the mercy of God, or refrain from sinning, - is a sin, or makes sinners worse; let him be anathema.

Canon IX. If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema.

Canon X. If any one saith, that men are just without the justice of Christ, whereby He merited for us to be justified; or that it is by that justice itself that they are formally just; let him be anathema.

Canon XI. If any one saith, that men are justified, either by the sole imputation of the justice of Christ, or by the sole remission of sins, to the exclusion of the grace and the charity which is poured forth in their hearts by the Holy Ghost, and is inherent in them; or even that the grace, whereby we are justified, is only the favour of God; let him be anathema.

Canon XII. If any one saith, that justifying faith is nothing else but confidence in the divine mercy which remits sins for Christ's sake; or, that this confidence alone is that whereby we are justified; let him be anathema.

Canon XIII. If any one saith, that it is necessary for every one, for the obtaining of the remission of sins, that he believe for certain, and without any wavering arising from his own infirmity and disposition, that his sins are forgiven him; let him be anathema.

Canon XIV. If any one saith, that man is truly absolved from his sins and justified, because that he assuredly believed himself absolved and justified; or, that no one is truly justified but he who believes himself justified; and that, by this faith alone, absolution and Justification are effected; let him be anathema.

Canon XV. If any one saith, that a man, who is born again and justified, is bound of faith to believe that he is assuredly in the number of the predestinate; let him be anathema.

Canon XVI. If any one saith, that he will for certain, of an absolute and infallible certainty, have that great gift of Perseverance unto the end, - unless he have learned this by special revelation; let him be anathema.

Canon XVII. If any one saith, that the grace of Justification is only attained to by those who are predestined unto life; but that all others who are called, are called indeed, but receive not grace, as being, by the divine power, predestined unto evil; let him be anathema.

Canon XVIII. If any one saith, that the commandments of God are, even for one that is justified and constituted in grace, impossible to keep; let him be anathema.

Canon XIX. If any one saith, that nothing besides faith is commanded in the Gospel; that other things are indifferent, neither commanded nor prohibited, but free; or, that the Ten Commandments nowise appertain to Christians; let him be anathema.

Canon XX. If any one saith, that the man who is justified and how perfect soever, is not bound to observe the Commandments of God and of the Church, but only to believe; as if indeed the Gospel were a bare and absolute promise of eternal life, without the condition of observing the Commandments; let him be anathema.

Canon XXI. If any one saith, that Christ Jesus was given of God to men, as a redeemer in Whom to trust, and not also as a legislator Whom to obey; let him be anathema.

Canon XXII. If any one saith, that the justified, either is able to persevere, without the special help of God, in the justice received; or that, with that help, he is not able; let him be anathema.

Canon XXIII. If any one saith, that a man once justified can sin no more, nor lose grace, and that therefore he that falls and sins was never truly justified; or, on the other hand, that he is able, during his whole life, to avoid all sins, even those that are venial, - except by a special privilege from God, as the Church holds in regard of the Blessed Virgin; let him be anathema.

Canon XXIV. If any one saith, that the justice received is not preserved and also increased before God through good works; but that the said works are merely the fruits and signs of Justification obtained, but not a cause of the increase thereof; let him be anathema.

Canon XXV. If any one saith, that, in every good work, the just sins venially at least, or - which is more intolerable still - mortally, and consequently deserves eternal punishments; and that for this cause only he is not damned, that God does not impute those works unto damnation; let him be anathema.

Canon XXVI. If any one saith, that the just ought not, for their good works done in God, to expect and hope for an eternal recompense from God, through His mercy and the merit of Jesus Christ, if so be that they persevere to the end in well doing and in keeping the divine commandments; let him be anathema.

Canon XXVII. If any one saith, that there is no mortal sin but that of infidelity; or, that grace once received is not lost by any other sin, however grievous and enormous, save by that of infidelity; let him be anathema.

Canon XXVIII. If any one saith, that, grace being lost through sin, faith also is always lost with it; or, that the faith which remains, though it be not a lively faith, is not a true faith; or, that he, who has faith without charity, is not as Christ taught; let him be anathema.

Canon XXIX. If any one saith, that he, who has fallen after Baptism, is not able by the grace of God to rise again; or, that he is able indeed to recover the justice which he has lost, but by faith alone without the Sacrament of Penance, contrary to what the Holy Roman and Universal Church - instructed by Christ and His Apostles - has hitherto professed, observed, and taught; let him be anathema.

Canon XXX. If any one saith, that, after the grace of Justification has been received, to every penitent sinner the guilt is remitted, and the debt of eternal punishment is blotted out in such wise, that there remains not any debt of temporal punishment to be discharged either in this world, or in the next in Purgatory, before the entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven can be opened (to him); let him be anathema.

Canon XXXI. If any one saith, that the justified sins when he performs good works with a view to an eternal recompense; let him be anathema.

Canon XXXII. If any one saith, that the good works of one that is justified are in such manner the gifts of God, as that they are not also the good merits of him that is justified; or, that the said justified, by the good works which he performs through the grace of God and the merit of Jesus Christ, Whose living member he is, does not truly merit increase of grace, eternal life, and the attainment of that eternal life, - if so be, however, that he depart in grace, - and also an increase of glory; let him be anathema.

Canon XXXIII. If any one saith, that, by the Catholic doctrine touching Justification, by this Holy Synod inset forth in this present decree, the glory of God, or the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ are in any way derogated from, and not rather that the truth of our faith, and the glory in fine of God and of Jesus Christ are rendered (more) illustrious; let him be anathema.