Breviloquium

Fourthly therefore there remains to consider grace as to the exercises of merits. And about these four are to be considered. First, concerning the exercise of grace in things to be believed, of which sort are the articles of faith; second, in things to be loved, of which sort are those which pertain to the order of loving; third, in things to be carried out, of which sort are the precepts of the divine law; fourth in things to be asked, of which sort are the petitions of the Lord's prayer¹.

But concerning the articles of faith these things are to be held: that although through faith we are bound to believe many things which are above reason, and generally all which are contained and adduced in the canon of sacred Scripture; yet specially and properly those are called articles of faith which are contained in the series of the Apostolic Symbol; which in one mode are "twelve, if respect is had to those who published the Symbol, in another mode fourteen, if we consider the things which are radically to be believed as the foundations of all things to be believed"².

The reason for understanding the aforesaid is this: because, since the first principle in itself is supremely true and good, in its work however supremely just and merciful; and firm assent is due to the supremely true, fervent love to the supremely good, universal subjection to the supremely just, fiducial invocation to the supremely merciful; and grace is the ordering of our mind to the due culture of the first principle: hence it is that it directs and regulates to the due and meritorious exercises in believing, loving, carrying out and asking, according as highest truth, goodness, justice and mercy require in the blessed Trinity.

Since therefore to truth is to be believed, and to greater truth more is to be believed, and to the highest truth consequently in the highest degree; and the truth of the first principle is infinitely greater than every created truth and more luminous than every light of our intellect: hence it is that, for our intellect to be rightly ordered in believing, it is necessary that it believe the highest truth more than itself, and that it reduce itself into the obedience of Christ³; and thereby that it believe not only the things which are according to reason, but also those which are above reason and against the experience of the senses; which if it refuses, it does not exhibit to the highest truth the due reverence, while it prefers the judgment of its own industry to the utterance of the eternal light; which cannot be without the swelling of pride and blameworthy haughtiness.

Again, since truth above or beyond reason is truth not seen nor apparent, but rather hidden and most difficult to believe; therefore, for it to be firmly believed, necessary is the illustration of truth elevating the soul, necessary is also the attestation of authority strengthening the soul. The first is done through infused faith, the second through authentic Scripture, both of which are from the highest truth through Jesus Christ, who is the Splendor and the Word⁴, and through the Holy Spirit, who shows and teaches truth and nevertheless causes us to believe. Hence it is that authority offers the prop of faith, and faith assents to authority. And since authority principally resides in sacred Scripture, which was composed whole through the Holy Spirit for directing the catholic faith; hence it is that true faith does not conflict with Scripture, but assents to it with unfeigned assent.

Lastly, since the truth to which we are constrained to believe through faith, and of which sacred Scripture treats principally, is not any truth whatever, but divine truth, either as it is in its own nature, or as it is in assumed nature — for in the knowledge of this truth consist both the reward of the fatherland and the merit of the way⁵, — hence it is that the articles of faith, which are the foundations of faith, pertain either to the Divinity or to the humanity. And since the Divinity has to be considered in three persons, namely the Father generating, the Son generated and the Holy Spirit proceeding, and in a fourfold operation, namely creation in the being of nature, recreation in the being of grace, resuscitation in the reparation of life and glorification in the collation of glory; hence it is that the articles pertaining to the Divinity are seven. — Similarly, since the humanity of Christ has to be considered as conceived of the Holy Spirit, as born of the Virgin, as suffering on the cross, as descending to hell, as rising from death, as ascending into heaven, as coming to the final judgment; hence it is that there are seven articles of humanity, and so in the universe fourteen, after the manner of the seven stars and the seven golden candlesticks, in the midst of which the Son of man walked⁶.

Since therefore there is one Christ in divine nature and human; and there is only one highest truth, which is the reason of believing one, first, highest and alone, which is not changed through times: hence it is that concerning all the aforesaid articles there is only one faith concerning the same, not changed both in the present as in the past as in the future, though it be more clear and explicit in those who follow Christ, than in those who preceded his advent; as the new testament is clearer than the old, in which the aforesaid articles are contained⁷.

And since the Holy Spirit joined together these articles of faith contained in the depth of the Scriptures into one through the twelve Apostles as through firmest witnesses; hence it is that the aforesaid articles were collected into one Apostles' Symbol. And therefore according to the Apostles composing them twelve articles can be said, because each Apostle for the edification of faith placed one article as one living stone; which the Holy Spirit rightly prefigured in the twelve men who drew twelve stones from the bed of the Jordan for building the altar of the Lord⁸.