ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH 395 (See INFALLIBILITY.) These doctrinal defini- tions or judgments of the Roman pontiff are of themselves final, and irreformable even be- fore the acquiescence of the episcopal body. The divine Scriptures are acknowledged by the church as the word of inspiration, written under the impulse of the Spirit of God, and to be received with all faith and reverence. The books of the Old Testament contained in the Jewish canon are admitted, to which are added certain other books written before the com- ing of Christ, and known to the Jews, espe- cially those of Alexandria, but not fully recog- nized as of binding authority. These are ac- cepted by the church on ancient testimony, usage, and tradition derived from the apostles. The books of the New Testament contained in the canon include some of which doubt was entertained in the early ages. The canon of the council of Carthage held in 39V, and that of Innocent I. and Gelasius in the following century, are followed in the list of sacred books adopted by the council of Trent. The church claims the supreme authority of determining the meaning of the Scriptures, in conformi- ty with the general teaching of the fathers, that is, the ancient Christian writers. Faith, according to the Roman Catholic view, is the assent of the human mind to divine truth pro- posed and attested by the church of God. The fact of revelation is essential, since no persua- ' sion, however strong, can give to opinion the character of a revealed truth. It must be pro- pounded by the church, in order to be regard- ed as a point of Catholic belief. Revelations made to an individual challenge the assent of his mind to the truth manifested to him ; but an authoritative declaration by a divinely ap- pointed teacher, the church, the pillar and ground of the truth, is necessary to afford cer- tainty of the fact of revelation to men general- ly. The assent of the mind must be given to all revealed truth, for the authority of God is alike vouchsafed for all, and the testimony of the church extends to all. Faith is necessary to salvation, so that without it it is impossible to please God. The wanton and proud rejec- tion of a single point of revealed doctrine in- volves the wreck of faith. Want of opportu- nity of instruction, insufficiency of evidence proposed, weakness of understanding, and un- avoidable prepossessions arising from birth and education may extenuate or excuse the denial of some doctrine, not recognized as revealed. Hence invincible ignorance is admitted by di- vines in respect to many not actual professors of Catholic doctrine, although God only can determine with certainty the individuals for whom such plea may be available. The exclu- sive language of church formularies, which de- clare that without Catholic faith none can be saved, receives this mild interpretation. All baptized children are claimed by the church as her own, since baptism is the sacrament of regeneration, and they continue such until by their wilful profession of condemned error they forfeit their birthright. The natural law, as manifested by reason and declared 4 in the deca- logue, is the foundation of moral theology. The development of it in the New Testament guides theologians in their examination of duties and rights. The writings of the fathers illustrate many points. The decisions by popes and coun- cils of matters submitted to their judgment are necessarily followed. Moral theology is the sci- entific discussion of all matters appertaining to conduct, and is consequently most comprehen- sive, since it embraces whatever has reference to vice or virtue, to the general principles of right, to the obligations of every station in life, and to the infinite variety of circumstances in which individuals may be placed. Much is necessarily left open for dispute in a science which comprises every imaginable case that may wear a moral aspect, on which account complaints are made of the latitude of theologi- cal opinions, favorable to relaxation of mor- als ; but it is considered of no small importance that the great principles of morality should be broadly stated and steadily maintained. Con- fessors study casuistry, as physicians study mal- adies and infirmities, to understand human dis- orders, and apply the remedies. The principles of the Catholic church with regard to civil du- ties are highly conservative. She is indifferent to forms of government and social institutions, and is content to exercise a salutary influence on society, by inculcating those maxims of right and order which are found in the gospel. She feels bound to respect established authori- ty, and to enforce by moral suasion obedience to those in high station. The early apologists of Christianity confidently appealed to the per- secutors themselves as witnesses of the loyalty and submission of the faithful. In the middle ages the church was occasionally in conflict with the civil power, because, being acknowl- edged by princes and peoples as the represen- tative of God, she sought to restrain the pas- sions cf rulers, who called themselves her chil- dren, by the laws and maxims of Christ, and to regulate society by the divine law. In the present state of the world, divided into so many independent kingdoms r.nd states, and into opposite sects, she confines her efforts for the moral control of nations to proclaiming the revealed doctrines, and teaching that re- ligion is the only secure basis and strong bond of society. By discipline Catholics understand all that appertains to the government of the church, the administration of the sacraments, and the observances and practices of religion. The essential worship consists in the sacrifice of the mass, which, although mystical and com- memorative, is real and propitiatory, being a bloodless continuation of the bloody sacrifice of the cross. Vespers, that is, evening pray- er, are solemnly sung, the psalms of David be- ing employed in the divine praise, with the song of the Virgin Mary, and pious hymns, and prayers. Other portions of the divine office are sung in the cathedral churches of
