The Catechism of the Council of Trent/Part 1: Article 1
THE
CATECHISM
OF
THE COUNCIL OF TRENT
PART I.
ON THE TWELVE ARTICLES OF THE CREED.
ARTICLE I.
"I BELIEVE IN GOD, THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH."
Division of the Creed.Amongst the many truths which Christianity proposes to our belief, and of which separately, or collectively, an assured and firm faith is necessary, the first and one essential to be believed by all, is that which God himself has taught us as the foundation of truth, and which is a summary of the unity of the divine essence, of the distinction of three persons, and of the actions which are peculiarly attributed to each. The pastor will inform the people that the Apostles' Creed briefly comprehends the doctrine of this mystery. For, as has been observed by our predecessors in the faith, who in treating this subject, have given proofs at once of piety and accuracy, the Creed seems to be divided into three principal parts, one describing the first Person of the divine nature, and the stupendous work of the creation—another, the second Person, and the mystery of man's redemption—a third, comprising in several most appropirate sentences, the doctrine of the third Person, the head and source of our sanctification. These sentences are called articles, by a sort of comparison frequently used by our forefathers; for as the members of the body are divided by joints (articulis) so in this profession of faith, whatever is to be believed distinctly and separately from any thing else, is appositely called an article.
Import of the words "I believe in God.""I believe in God."] The meaning of these words is this; I believe with certainty, and without a shadow of doubt profess my belief in God the Father, the first person of the Trinity, who by his omnipotence created from nothing, preserves and governs the heavens and the earth, and all things which they encompass: and not only do I believe in him from my heart, and profess this belief with my lips, but with the greatest ardour and piety tend towards him, as the supreme and most perfect good. Let it suffice thus briefly to state the substance of this first article: but as great mysteries lie concealed under almost every word, the pas tor must now give them a more minute consideration, in order that, as far as God has permitted, the faithful may approach, with fear and trembling, the contemplation of the glory of the divine Majesty.
The word " believe," therefore, does not here mean " to think," " to imagine," " to be of opinion," but, as the Sacred Scriptures teach, it expresses the deepest conviction of the mind, by which we give a firm and unhesitating assent to God revealing his mysterious truths. As far, therefore, as regards the use of the word here; he, who firmly and without hesitation is convinced of any thing, is said "to believe."[1] Certainty of Faith.Nor is the knowledge derived through faith to be considered less certain, because its objects are not clearly comprehended; for the divine light in which we see them, although it does not render them evident, yet sheds around them such a lustre as leaves no doubt on the mind regarding them. " For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shone in our hearts," [2] " that the Gospel be not hidden to us, as to those that perish." [3]
Excludes curiosity.From what has been said, it follows that he who is gifted with this heavenly knowledge of faith, is free from an inquisitive curiosity; for when God commands us to believe, he does not propose to us to search into his divine judgments, or inquire into their reasons and their causes, but demands an immutable faith, by the efficacy of which, the mind reposes in the knowledge of eternal truth. And indeed, if, whilst we have the testimony of the Apostle, that" God is true and every man a liar;" [4] it would argue arrogance and presumption to disbelieve the asseveration of a grave and sensible man affirming any thing as true, and urge him to support his asseveration by reasons and authorities; what temerity and folly does it not argue in those, who hear the words of God himself, to demand reasons for the heavenly and saving doctrines which he reveals? Faith, therefore, excludes not only all doubt, but even the desire of subjecting its truths to demonstration.
Open profession of.But the pastor should also teach, that he who says, " I believe," besides declaring the inward assent of the mind, which is an internal act of faith, should also openly and with alacrity profess and proclaim what he inwardly and in his heart believes: for the faithful should be animated by the same spirit that spoke by the lips of the prophet, when he said: " I believe, and there fore did I speak," [5] and should follow the example of the Apostles who replied to the princes of the earth: " We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." [6] This spirit should be excited within us by these admirable words of St. Paul:
"I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation, to every one that believeth;" [7] sentiments which derive additional force from these words of the same Apostle: " With the heart we believe unto justice; but with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." [8]
Christian philosophy superior to human wisdom."In God"] From these words we may learn, how exalted are the dignity and excellence of Christian philosophy, and what a debt of gratitude we owe to the divine goodness; we to whom it is given at once to soar on the wings of faith to the knowledge of a being surpassing in excellence and in whom all our desires should be concentrated. For in this, Christian philosophy and human wisdom differ much; that guided solely by the light of nature, and having made gradual advances by reasoning on sensible objects and effects, human wisdom, after long and laborious investigation, at length reaches with difficulty the contemplation of the invisible things of God, discovers and under stands the first cause and author of all things; whilst on the contrary Christian philosophy so enlightens and enlarges the human mind, that at once and without difficulty it pierces the heavens, and illumined with the splendours of the divinity contemplates first the eternal source of light, and in its radiance all created things; so that with the Apostle we experience with the most exquisite pleasure, "and believing rejoice with joy unspeakable," [9] that "we have been called out of darkness into his admirable light." [10] Justly, therefore, do the faithful profess first to believe in God; whose majesty, with the prophet Jeremiah, we declare "incomprehensible," [11] for, as the Apostle says, "He dwells in light inaccessible, which no man hath seen or can see:" [12] and speaking to Moses, he himself said "No man shall see my face and live." [13] The mind, to be capable of rising to the contemplation of the Deity, whom nothing approaches in sublimity, must be entirely disengaged from the senses; and this the natural condition of man in the present life renders impossible.
Human reason, however, capable of obtaining a knowledge of God from his works."God," however, "left not himself without testimony; doing good from heaven; giving rains and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness." [14] Hence it is that philosophers conceived no mean idea of the Divinity; ascribed to him nothing? corporeal, nothing gross, nothing compound; considered him the perfection and fulness of all good; from whom, as from an eternal, inexhaustible fountain of goodness and benignity, flows every perfect gift to all creatures; called him the wise, the author of truth, the loving, the just, the most beneficent; gave him, also, many other appellations expressive of supreme and absolute perfection; and said that his immensity filled every place, and his omnipotence extended to every thing. This the Sacred Scriptures more clearly express, and more fully develope, as in the following passages: " God is a spirit;" [15] "Be ye perfect, even as your Father, who is in heaven, is also perfect;" [16] " all things are naked and open to his eyes;" [17] " Oh! the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God;" [18] " God is true;" [19] " I am the way, the truth and the life;" [20] " Thy right hand is full of justice;" [21] " Thou openest thy hand, and fillest with blessing every living creature;" [22] and finally: " Whither shall I go from thy spirit, or whither shall I flee from thy face? If I ascend into heaven, thou art there; if I descend into hell thou art there; if I take wing in the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there also shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me," &c. [23] and " Do I not fill heaven and earth, saith the Lord?" [24] These are great and sublime truths regarding the nature of God; and of these truths philosophers attained a knowledge, which, whilst it accords with the authority of the inspired volume, results from the investigation of created things.
But we must, also, see the necessity of divine revelation, if we reflect that not only does faith, as we have already observed, make known at once to the rude and unlettered, those truths, a knowledge of which philosophers could attain only by long and laborious study; but also impresses this knowledge with much greater certainty and security against all error, than if it were the result of philosophical inquiry. But how much more exalted must not that knowledge of the Deity be considered, which can not be acquired in common by all from the contemplation of nature, but is the peculiar privilege of those who are illumined by the light of faith?
This knowledge is contained in the articles of the Creed which disclose to us the unity of the divine essence, and the distinction of three persons; and also that God is the ultimate end of our being, from whom we are to expect the fruition of the eternal happiness of heaven: for we have learned from St. Paul, that " God is a rewarder of them that seek him." [25] The greatness of these rewards, and whether they are such as that human knowledge could aspire to their attainment, [26] we learn from these words of Isaias uttered long before those of the Apostle; " From the beginning of the world they have not heard, nor perceived with the ears: without thee, O God, the eye hath not seen what things thou hast prepared for them that wait for thee." [27]
From what has been said, it must also be confessed that there is but one God not many Gods; for as we attribute to God supreme goodness and infinite perfection, it is impossible that what is supreme and most perfect could be common to many. If a being want any thing that constitutes this supreme perfection, it is therefore imperfect, and cannot be endowed with the nature of God. This is also proved from many passages of the Sacred Scripture; for it is written, " Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, is one Lord;" [28] again, " Thou shall not have strange gods before me," [29] is the command of God: and again he often admonishes us by the prophet, " I am the first, and I am the last, and besides me there is no God." [30] The Apostle also expressly declares; " one Lord, one faith, one Baptism." [31] It should not, however, excite our surprise if the Sacred Scriptures sometimes give the name of God to creatures: [32] for when they call the prophets and judges gods, they do so not after the manner of the Gentiles; who, in their folly and impiety, formed to themselves many gods; but in order to express, by a manner of speaking then not unusual, some eminent quality or function conferred on them by the divine munificence. Christian faith, therefore, believes and professes, as is declared in the Nicene Creed in confirmation of this truth, that God in his nature, substance and essence is one; but soaring still higher, it so understands him to be one that it adores unity in trinity and trinity in unity. Of this mystery we now proceed to speak, as it comes next in order in the Creed.
" THE FATHER"] As God is called " Father" for more reasons than one, we must first determine the strictly appropriated meaning of the word in the present instance. Some also on whom the light of faith never shone, conceived God to be an eternal substance from whom all things had their beginning, by whose providence they are governed and preserved in their order and state of existence. As, therefore, he, to whom a family owes its origin, and by whose wisdom and authority it is governed, is called a father; so by analogy from things human, God was called Father, because acknowledged to be the creator and governor of the universe. The Sacred Scriptures also use the same appellation, when, speaking of God, they declare that to him the creation of all things, power and admirable providence, are to be ascribed: for we read, " Is not he thy Father that hath possessed thee, and made thee, and created thee?" [33] And again, " Have we not all one Father? Hath not one God created us?" [34]
But God, particularly in the New Testament, is much more frequently, and in some sense peculiarly called the Father of Christians, who "have not received the spirit of bondage in fear, but have received the spirit of adoption of sons, whereby they cry abba Father;" [35] " for the Father hath bestowed on us that manner of charity, that we should be called, and be the sons of God;" [36] " and if sons, heirs also, heirs, indeed, of God, and joint-heirs with Christ," [37] "who is the first-born amongst many brethren, [38] for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren." [39] Whether, therefore, we look to the common title of creation and conservation; or to the special one of spiritual adoption, the term " Father," as applied to God by Christians, is alike appropriate.
But the pastor will teach the faithful that, on hearing the word "Father," besides the ideas already unfolded, their minds should rise to the contemplation of more exalted mysteries. Under the name of " Father," the divine oracles begin to unveil to us a mysterious truth which is more abstruse, and more deeply hidden in that inaccessible light in which God dwells a mysterious truth which human reason not only could not reach, but even conceive to exist. This name implies, that in the one essence of the Godhead is proposed to our belief, not only one person, but a distinction of persons: for in one Divine nature there are three persons; the Father, begotten of none; the Son, begotten of the Father before all ages; the Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son from all eternity.
But in the one substance of the Divinity the Father is the first person, who with his only begotten Son, and the Holy Ghost is one God and one Lord, not in the singularity of one person, but in the trinity of one substance. These three persons, (for it would be impiety to assert that they are unlike or unequal in any thing) are understood to be distinct only in their peculiar relations. The Father is unbegotten, the Son begotten of the Father, and the Holy Ghost proceeds from both; and we confess the essence of the three Persons, their substance to be so the same, that we believe that in the confession of the true and eternal God, we are piously and religiously to adore distinction in the Persons, unity in the essence, and equality in the Trinity. When we say that the Father is the first person, we are not to be understood to mean that in the Trinity there is any thing first or last, greater or less let no Christian be guilty of such impiety, for Christianity proclaims the same eternity, the same majesty of glory in the three Persona but the Father, because the beginning without a be ginning, we truly and unhesitatingly affirm to be the first person, who, as he is distinct from the others by his peculiar relation of paternity, so of him alone is it true that he begot the Son from eternity: for, when in the Creed we pronounce together the words " God" and " Father," it intimates to us that he is God and Father from eternity.
But as in nothing is a too curious inquiry more dangerous, or error more fatal, than in the knowledge and exposition of this, the most profound and difficult of mysteries, let the pastor instruct the people religiously to retain the terms used to express this mystery, and which are peculiar to essence and person; and let the faithful know that unity belongs to essence, and distinction to Persons. But these are truths which should not be made matter of too subtile disquisition, when we recollect that " he, who is a searcher of majesty, shall be overwhelmed by glory." [40] We should be satisfied with the assurance which faith gives us that we have been taught these truths by God himself; and to dissent from his oracles is the extreme of folly and misery. He has said: " Teach ye all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost;" [41] and again, " there are three who give testimony in heaven; the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one." [42] Let him, however, who by the divine bounty believes these truths, constantly beseech and implore God, and the Father, who made all things out of nothing, and orders all things sweetly, who gave us power to become the sons of God, and who made known to us the mystery of the Trinity; that admitted, one day, into the eternal tabernacles, he may be worthy to see how great is the fecundity of the Father, who contemplating and understanding him self, begot the Son like and equal to himself; how a love of charity in both, entirely the same and equal, which is the Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son, connects the begetting and the begotten by an eternal and indissoluble bond; and that thus the essence of the Trinity is one and the distinction of the three persons perfect.
"ALMIGHTY."] The Sacred Scriptures, in order to mark the piety and devotion with which the God of holiness is to be adored, usually express his supreme power and infinite majesty in a variety of ways; but the pastor should impress particularly on the minds of the faithful, that the attribute of omnipotence is that by which he is most frequently designated. Thus he says of himself, "I am the Almighty God;" [43] and again, Jacob when sending his sons to Joseph thus prayed for them, "May my Almighty God make him favourable to you." [44] In the Apocalypse also it is written, " The Lord God, who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty:" [45] and in another place the last day is called " the day of Almighty God." [46] Sometimes the same attribute is expressed in many words; thus: " no word shall be impossible with God:" [47] "Is the hand of the Lord unable?" [48] "Thy power is at hand when thou wilt." [49] Many other passages of the same import might be adduced, all of which convey the same idea which is clearly comprehended under this single word " Almighty " By it we understand that there neither is, nor can be imagined any thing which God cannot do; for he can not only annihilate all created things, and in a moment summon from nothing into existence many other worlds an exercise of power, which, however great, comes in some degree within our comprehension but he can do many things still greater, of which the human mind can form no conception. But though God can do all things, yet he cannot lie, or deceive, or be deceived; he cannot sin, or be ignorant of any thing, or cease to exist. These things are compatible with those beings only whose actions are imperfect, and are entirely incompatible with the nature of God, whose acts are all-perfect. To be capable of these things is a proof of weakness, not of supreme and infinite power, the peculiar attribute of God Thus, whilst we believe God to be omnipotent, we exclude from him whatever is not intimately connected, and entirety consistent with the perfection of his nature.
But the pastor should point out the propriety and wisdom of having omitted all other names of God in the Creed, and of having proposed to us that alone of " Almighty" as the object of our belief; for by acknowledging God to be omnipotent, we also necessity acknowledge him to be omniscient, and to hold all things in subjection to his supreme authority and dominion. When we doubt not that he is omnipotent, we must be also convinced of every thing else regarding him, the absence of which would render his omnipotence altogether unintelligible. Besides, nothing tends more to confirm our faith, and animate our hope, than a deep conviction that all things are possible to God: for whatever may be afterwards proposed as an object of faith, however great, however wonderful, however raised above the natural order, is easily and at once believed, when the mind is already imbued with the knowledge of the omnipotence of God. Nay more, the greater the truths which the divine oracles an nounce, the more willingly does the mind deem them worthy of belief; and should we expect any favour from heaven, we are not discouraged by the greatness of the desired boon, but are cheered and confirmed by frequently considering, that there is nothing which an omnipotent God cannot effect.
With this faith, then, we should be specially fortified whenever we are required to render any extraordinary service to our neighbour, or seek to obtain by prayer any favour from God. Its necessity in the one case, we learn from the Redeemer him self, who, when rebuking the incredulity of the Apostles, said to them, "If you have faith as a mustard-seed, you shall say to this mountain, remove from hence thither, and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you:"[50] and in the other, from these words of St. James, " Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering; for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, which is moved and carried about by the wind. Therefore, let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord." [51] This faith brings with it also many advantages. It forms us, in the first place, to all humility and lowliness of mind, according to these words of the Prince of the Apostles: " Be you humbled, therefore, under the mighty hand of God." [52] It also teaches us not to fear where there is no cause of fear, but to fear God alone, [53] in whose power we ourselves and all that we have are placed; [54] for our Saviour says, "I will show you whom you shall fear; fear ye him, who, after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell." [55] This faith is, also, useful to enable us to know and exalt the infinite mercies of God towards us: he who reflects on the omnipotence of God, cannot be so ungrateful as not frequently to exclaim, " He that is mighty hath done great things to me." [56]
When, however, in this article we call the Father " Almighty," let no person be led into the error of excluding, therefore, from its participation the Son and the Holy Ghost. As we say the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Ghost is God, and yet there are not three Gods, but one God, so, in like manner, we confess that the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Ghost Almighty, and, yet, there are not three Almighties, but one Almighty. The Father, in particular, we call Almighty, because he is the source of all origin; as we also attribute wisdom to the Son, because the eternal word of the Father; and goodness to the Holy Ghost, because the love of both. These, however, and such appellations, maybe given indiscriminately to the three Persons, according to the rule of Catholic faith.
" CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH"] The necessity of having previously imparted to the faithful a knowledge of the potence of God, will appear from what we are now about to explain with regard to the creation of the world. For when already convinced of the omnipotence of the Creator, we more readily believe the wondrous production of so stupendous a work. For God formed not the world from materials of any sort, but created it from nothing, and that not by constraint or necessity, but spontaneously, and of his own free will. Nor was he impelled to create by any other cause than a desire to communicate to creatures the riches of his bounty; for essentially happy in himself, he stands not in need of any thing: as David expresses it: "I said to the Lord, thou art my God, for of my goods thou hast no need." [57] But as, influenced by his own goodness, " he hath done all things whatsoever he would," [58] so in the work of the creation he followed no external form or model; but contemplating and, as it were, imitating the universal model contained in the divine intelligence, the supreme Architect, with ii finite wisdom and power, attributes peculiar to the Divinity, created all things in the beginning: " he spoke and they were made, he commanded and they were created." [59] The words " heaven" and " earth" include all things which the heavens and the earth contain; for, besides the heavens, which the Prophet called " the work of his fingers," [60] he also gave to the sun its brilliancy, and to the moon and stars their beauty: and that they may be " for signs and for seasons, for days and for years," [61] he so ordered the celestial bodies in a certain and uniform course, that nothing varies more their continual revolution, yet nothing more fixed than that variety.
Moreover, he created from nothing spiritual nature, and angels innumerable to serve and minister to him: and these he replenished and adorned with the admirable gifts of his grace and power. That the devil and his associates, the rebel angels, were gifted at their creation with grace, clearly follows from these words of the Sacred Scriptures: "The devil stood not in the truth;" [62] on which subject St. Augustine says, "In creating the angels he endowed them with good will, that is, with pure love, by which they adhere to him, at once giving them existence, and adorning them with grace." [63] Hence we are to believe that the an gels were never without " good will," that is, the love of God. As to their knowledge we have this testimony of Holy Scripture: " Thou, Lord, my King, art wise according to the wisdom of an Angel of God, to understand all things upon earth." [64] Finally, David ascribes power to them in these words; " mighty in strength, executing his word;" [65] and on this account, they are often called in Scripture the " powers" and " the hosts of heaven." But although they were all endowed with celestial gifts, very many, however, having rebelled against God, their Father and Creator, were hurled from the mansions of bliss, and shut up in the dark dungeons of hell, there to suffer for eternity the punishment of their pride. Speaking of them the Prince of the Apostles says: " He spare-d not the angels that sinned; but delivered them, drawn down by infernal ropes, to the lower hell, into torments, to be reserved unto judgment." [66]
The earth, also, God commanded to stand in the midst of the world, rooted in its own foundation, and " made the mountains to ascend, and the plains to descend into the place which he had founded for them." That the waters should not inundate the earth, " he hath set a bound which they shall not pass over, neither shall they return to cover the earth." [67] He next not only clothed and adorned it with trees, and every variety of herb and flower, but filled it, as he had already filled the air and water, with innumerable sorts of living creatures.
Lastly, he formed man from the slime of the earth, immortal and impassable, not, however, by the strength of nature, but by the bounty of God. His soul he created to his own image and likeness; gifted him with free will, and tempered all his motions and appetites, so as to subject them, at all times, to the dictate of reason. He then added the invaluable gift of original righteousness, and next gave him dominion over all other animals By referring to the sacred history of Genesis the pastor will make him self familiar with these things for the instruction of the faithful.
What we have said, then, of the creation of the universe, is to be understood as conveyed by the words "heaven and earth," and is thus briefly set forth by the prophet: " Thine are the heavens, and thine is the earth: the world and the fulness thereof thou hast founded:" [68] and still more briefly by the Fathers of the Council of Nice, who added in their Creed these words, "of all things visible and invisible." Whatever exists in the universe, and was created by God, either falls under the senses, and is included in the word " visible," or is an object of perception to the mind, and is expressed by the word " invisible."
The preserver and governor.We are not, however, to understand that the works of God, when once created, could continue to exist unsupported by his omnipotence: as they derive existence from his supreme power, wisdom and goodness, so unless preserved continually by his superintending providence, and by the same power which produced them, they should instantly return into their original nothing. This the Scriptures declare, when they say, "How could any thing endure if thou wouldst not? or be preserved, if not called by thee?"[69] But not only does God protect and govern all things by his providence; but also by an internal virtue impels to motion and action whatever moves and acts, and this in such a manner, as that although he excludes not, he yet prevents the agency of secondary causes. His invisible influence extends to all things, and as the wise man says: "It reacheth from end to end, mighty, and ordereth all things sweetly."[70] This is the reason why the Apostle, announcing to the Athenians the God whom not knowing they adored, said; "He is not far from every one of us: for in him we live and move and have our being."[71]
Creation, the work of the three Persons.Let thus much suffice for the explanation of the first article of the Creed: it may not, however, be unnecessary to add that the creation is the common work of the three Persons of the Holy and undivided Trinity—of the Father, whom, according to the doctrine of the Apostles, we here declare to be "Creator of heaven and earth;"—of the Son, of whom the Scripture says, "all things were made by him;"[72] and of the Holy Ghost, of whom it is written, "The Spirit of God moved over the waters:"[73] and again, "By the word of the Lord the heavens were established and all the power of them by the Spirit of his mouth."[74]
- ↑ Rom. iv. 18-21.
- ↑ 2 Cor. iv. 6.
- ↑ Ibid. v. 3.
- ↑ Rom. iii. 4.
- ↑ Ps. cxv. 1.
- ↑ Acts. iv. 20
- ↑ Rom. i. 16
- ↑ Rom. x. 10.
- ↑ 1 Pet. i. 8.
- ↑ 1 Pet. ii. 9.
- ↑ Jerem. xxxii. 19.
- ↑ 1 Tim. vi. 16.
- ↑ Exod. xxxiii. 10.
- ↑ Acts xiv. 16.
- ↑ John iv. 24.
- ↑ Matt. v. 48.
- ↑ Heb. iv. 13.
- ↑ Rom. xi. 33.
- ↑ Rom. iii. 4.
- ↑ John xiv. 6.
- ↑ Ps. xlvii. 11.
- ↑ Ps . cxliv. 16.
- ↑ Ps. cxxxviii. 7, 8, 9, 10, &c.
- ↑ Jer. xxiii. 24.
- ↑ Heb. xi. 6
- ↑ 1 Cor. ii. 9-14.
- ↑ Isa. lxiv. 4.
- ↑ Deut. vi. 4.
- ↑ Exod. xx. 3.
- ↑ Is. xliv. 6; xlviii. 12.
- ↑ Eph. iv. 5.
- ↑ Ps. lxxxi. 1. Exod. xxii. 28. 1 Cor. viii. 5.
- ↑ Deut. xxxii. 6
- ↑ Mal. ii. 10.
- ↑ Rom. viii. 15.
- ↑ 1 John iii. 1.
- ↑ Rom. viii. 17
- ↑ Rom. viii. 29.
- ↑ Heb. ii. 11.
- ↑ Prov. xxv. 27.
- ↑ Matt xxviii. 19.
- ↑ 1 John v. 7.
- ↑ Gen. xvii. 1.
- ↑ Gen. xliii. 14.
- ↑ Apoc. i. 8.
- ↑ Apoc. xvi. 14.
- ↑ Luke i. 37.
- ↑ Num. xi. 23.
- ↑ Wisd. xii. 18.
- ↑ Matt. xvii. 20.
- ↑ James i. 6, 7.
- ↑ 1 Pet. v. 6.
- ↑ Ps. xxxii. 8. 33. 10.
- ↑ Wisd. vii. 16.
- ↑ Luke xii. 5.
- ↑ Luke i. 49.
- ↑ Ps . xv . 2.
- ↑ Ps. cxiii. 3.
- ↑ Ps . xxx;i. 9 . cxlviii. 5
- ↑ Ps. viii. 4.
- ↑ Gen. i. 14.
- ↑ John viii. 44.
- ↑ Aug. lib. 12. de Civil. Dei, cap. 9.
- ↑ 2 Kings xiv. 20.
- ↑ Ps. cii. 20.
- ↑ 2 Pet. ii. 4.
- ↑ Ps. ciii. 8, 9.
- ↑ Ps. lxxxviii. 12.
- ↑ Wisdom xi. 26.
- ↑ Wisdom viii. 1
- ↑ Acts xvii. 27, 28.
- ↑ John i. 3.
- ↑ Gen. i. 2.
- ↑ Ps. xxxii. 6.