Chapter I: What Things Are to Be Believed

— Explicitly or implicitly, whatever things God has revealed are to be believed. He who refuses to give faith even to one point derogates from the supreme truth, and consequently can no longer believe anything on account of God's authority alone. He has preferred the false evidence, or conclusion, of his own mind to this authority.

— Explicitly, some things are to be believed by necessity of means, others by necessity of precept. Each necessity of acts affects adults alone; for they alone are to be saved by their own acts.

Moreover, that is necessary by necessity of means without which man would not have, toward his end, that proportion which by God's ordination he ought to have.

For necessity in order to salvation can be taken either from the nature of the thing or from the obligation of divine law. From the nature of the thing, when there is question of a disposition required so that we may have toward the end the proportion appointed by divine ordination, or of removing an obstacle by which the end would per se be impeded (for example, of removing the state of sin). Necessity of means directly regards this positive disposition or removal of an obstacle; necessity of precept immediately and formally follows moral obligation. Although for adults the necessity of precept is superadded to the necessity of means.

From the notion is gathered the practical criterion by which they are accustomed to distinguish necessity of means from necessity of precept: involuntary omission does not excuse from necessity of means; it excuses from necessity of precept.

Necessity of means is present more strictly when the matter of the necessary thing can be supplied by no act, no disposition. A necessity of this kind is said to be of means, in reality: thus baptism for infants dying without the use of reason. But if God admits that the necessary thing can be supplied by a formal or virtual intention which is contained in some act, the thing is said to be necessary by necessity of means in desire. Thus baptism can be supplied by an act of perfect charity, for adults who do not have the occasion of baptism, or who are ignorant of its necessity.

— Now indeed, by necessity of means, God must explicitly be believed as existing and as remunerator; that is, as the Apostle says, Heb. 11, 6, "he who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him." And the reason itself is at hand.

It is altogether necessary that man, insofar as he is to be saved by his own acts, formally conjoin his will with the divine will through charity. But unless I know that God is my good, I shall not be able to affect union with God, which belongs to charity or love. But in the present order, where theological charity is required, knowledge by faith alone avails to introduce charity. Therefore explicit faith in God existing and in God the supernatural remunerator must have preceded the indispensable act of charity.

But the disputed question whether the very existence of some first cause distinct from the world, which is a preamble of faith, can itself at the same time be the object of faith ¹, can be passed over by us. It suffices that we teach with the Apostle (Heb. 11, 6) that supernatural and explicit faith in the existence of God is necessary by necessity of means insofar as He Himself reveals it, and besides in His remunerating providence which He exercises toward us. Now indeed, He does not reveal Himself merely as existing, but as existing either one, omnipotent, provident, as He was revealed to the Jews; or one and triune, the Father, as He is revealed to Christians (St. Thomas, lect. 2 on chapter XI of the Epistle to the Hebrews).

Wherefore, when God is proposed as to be believed as existing, He is at the same time proposed as to be believed either as one in three Persons, or as endowed with attributes whose faith is impeded by no natural evidence.

¹ In the school of St. Thomas, this is commonly denied. Cf. St. Thomas, on chapter XI of the Epistle to the Hebrews, lect. 2 toward the end; C. Billot, De virtutibus infusis, De fide, thesis XI; Van Noort, De virtutibus infusis, p. 240 ff. (ed. 1906).

— Are these other two points to be believed by necessity of means: the Trinity and the Incarnation of the Son of God? Some think that this explicit faith is required after the promulgation of the Gospel; more deny this, both because such a necessity is demonstrated from no revealed source, and because that faith is not per se required for an act of perfect charity, and because it seems more consonant with the salvific will of God that He require only that which is, as it were from the nature of the thing, necessary for salvation. Yet because in the Gospel of St. Matthew, last chapter; St. John 3, 16, 18; Acts 4, 12; Rom. 3, 22, faith in Jesus Christ is shown to be a means of justice; because explicit faith in the Most Holy Trinity is to be premised to baptism, the opinion of Suarez (De fide, d. 12, s. 4, nn. 18, 19) and Lugo (De fide, d. 12, nn. 106, 107) seems to be preferred, according to whom this faith is necessary, like baptism itself, in reality, or in desire. And so a positive disposition to first sanctification is not present in the adult except because in his act of charity there is contained the desire of believing these things explicitly. Wherefore, even after justification, he preserves the obligation of believing those two points explicitly as soon as he can, just as he preserves the obligation of receiving the sacrament of baptism.

Thence also it is clear why the necessity of means concerning these two points cannot be gathered from this 64th proposition condemned by Innocent XI: "A man is capable of absolution, however much he labors under ignorance of the mysteries of faith, and even if through negligence, even culpable negligence, he does not know the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Incarnation of Our Lord Jesus Christ" (Denz., n. 1214).

— Necessity of precept, as such, denotes a mere condition required for attaining the end ¹, that is, the material observance of the thing commanded is not necessary as a means, but this alone is required, that our will be formally conformed with the divine will and so remain in charity.

But that formal conformity is indicated from conscience (cf. I, 338, 339), and hence cannot be destroyed by inculpable ignorance of precepts.

Now indeed, among the duties of the Christian state this is repeated: that the Christian religion be known as to substance, and that the common duties of Christians not be unknown. And because these are contained in the following documents, these documents are to be known under grave obligation, not indeed, at least per se, so that they can be recited, but at least in a coarse way and as to substance:

a) The Apostles' Creed, except, however, the perpetual virginity of Mary, the burial of Christ, and His descent into hell, which, as being secondary, are to be known under slight obligation; except also the name of Pontius Pilate and the circumstance of the third day as to the resurrection, which may be unknown without punishment.

The sitting at the right hand of the Father and the communion of Saints are to be known insofar as they denote the glorious reign of Christ in the heavens, and the beatitude which the Saints participate with Him.

b) The precepts of the Decalogue and those precepts of the Church which affect all;

c) The sacraments most necessary: baptism, eucharist, penance; others, when one wishes to receive them;

d) The Lord's Prayer: insofar as this at least must be known, that all goods are to be asked from God as from a Father;

e) The acts of faith, hope, charity, contrition, so that the faithful can elicit these.

¹ "If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." But beware lest you infer from this that the good works of the just, among which the free fulfillment of the commandments is eminent, are not at the same time meritorious causes of eternal life.

Corollaries. — 1. Considering the probable obligation of means of knowing the four points:

a) A healthy man, ignorant of these, can be baptized or absolved before he has distinctly believed these things at the suggestion of the minister or confessor: for example, by making the sign of the cross with the unlearned man, let the minister explain the individual words. Yet it is not necessary that he already be able to recite these from memory, but he is to be admonished concerning the obligation of knowing and better learning them, according to his capacity.

b) Even in dying barbarians, as far as can be done, actual faith in these mysteries is to be obtained; but if this cannot be obtained, they will only be baptized and absolved conditionally.

— 2. Considering the moral incapacity of the unlearned to know otherwise the things which are commanded to be known, it must be inculcated with all force that they learn the same things by memory and accurately. Nor can they neglect that without at least venial fault. Yet there are not lacking, at least in certain regions, unlearned persons who are excused by their very incapacity to grasp and retain these things. But they are less excused, or rather are inexcusable, who, learned in other matters, do not care about knowing religion.

— 3. Considering the good of souls for which he must provide, a pastor sins gravely who neglects to teach children and the faithful the things which they ought to know under grave obligation.

4. Considering his office as minister of the sacrament, the confessor ought to teach those things which here and now are necessary so that the sacrament of penance can be received with fruit; but considering the duty of charity, for fulfilling which he has an easy occasion, the confessor ought to indicate some means by which the penitent can dissipate his excessive ignorance: as, for example, that he procure and read for himself a little book in which these things are clearly set forth; that he hear them from a person who is related, friendly, and competent; that he assist at a sacred function under which catechesis is handed down to the people.

5. Today they exercise a most opportune work of spiritual mercy who, whether alone or gathered together, strive industriously to propagate the knowledge of religion.

— I. Object and necessity of the act of faith. All things which God has revealed are to be believed at least implicitly, lest, derogating from the first truth in some point, we place the false opinion of our own mind before divine authority, and no longer believe anything on account of God's authority alone. Some revealed things are to be believed explicitly also by necessity of means; others, by necessity of precept alone; others, by no necessity. That has necessity of means whose influence is required so that man may attain that proportion toward his end which by God's ordination he ought to have: wherefore it is said to be necessary from the nature of the thing; whatever is required by law has necessity of precept. Involuntary omission excuses from no necessity of means, but indeed excuses from necessity of precept. Moreover, necessity of means can be stricter, in reality, when it is supplied by no act or disposition; and broader, or in desire, when it can be supplied by a formal or virtual intention contained in some other act: thus an act of perfect charity can supply baptism for those who are ignorant of its necessity or lack its occasion.

II. What things, by what necessity, are to be believed. 1. By necessity of means, God must explicitly be believed as existing and as remunerator (Heb. 11, 6); it is disputed whether the Trinity and the Incarnation of the Son of God also must be believed by necessity of means. The opinion of Suarez and Lugo is to be preferred, who affirm necessity of means, in reality or in desire, concerning this faith.

2. By necessity of precept, the Christian religion is to be known as to substance. Wherefore, the principal points of the Apostles' Creed are to be believed explicitly; and the precepts of the Decalogue and the common precepts of the Church are to be known; the sacraments most necessary; the Lord's Prayer; acts of faith, hope, charity, contrition. Per se it is not required that the formulas can be recited.