pantheism, materialism, and atheism, and,
repudiating the reasoning nature of man, and every rule of right and
wrong, they are laboring to overthrow the very foundations of human
society. As this impious heresy is spreading everywhere, not a few
Catholics have been inveigled by it. They have confounded human science
and divine faith.

"But the Church, the Mother and Mistress of nations, is ever ready to
strengthen the weak, to take to her bosom those that return, and carry
them on to better things. And, now the bishops of the whole world
being gathered together in this Oecumenical Council, and the Holy Ghost
sitting therein, and judging with us, we have determined to declare from
this chair of St. Peter the saving doctrine of Christ, and proscribe and
condemn the opposing errors.

"OF GOD, THE CREATOR OF ALL THINGS.--The Holy Catholic Apostolic Roman
Church believes that there is one true and living God, Creator and
Lord of Heaven and Earth, Almighty, Eternal, Immense, Incomprehensible,
Infinite in understanding and will, and in all perfection. He is
distinct from the world. Of his own most free counsel he made alike out
of nothing two created creatures, a spiritual and a temporal, angelic
and earthly. Afterward he made the human nature, composed of both.
Moreover, God by his providence protects and governs all things,
reaching from end to end mightily, and ordering all things harmoniously.
Every thing is open to his eyes, even things that come to pass by the
free action of his creatures."

"OF REVELATION.--The Holy Mother Church holds that God can be known with
certainty by the natural light of human reason, but that it has also
pleased him to reveal himself and the eternal decrees of his will in a
supernatural way. This supernatural revelation, as declared by the
Holy Council of Trent, is contained in the books of the Old and New
Testament, as enumerated in the decrees of that Council, and as are to
be had in the old Vulgate Latin edition. These are sacred because they
were written under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. They have God for
their author, and as such have been delivered to the Church.

"And, in order to restrain restless spirits, who may give erroneous
explanations, it is decreed--renewing the decision of the Council of
Trent--that no one may interpret the sacred Scriptures contrary to the
sense in which they are interpreted by Holy Mother Church, to whom such
interpretation belongs."

"OF FAITH.