1. Whosoever will be
saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic
faith;
2. Which faith
except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall
perish everlastingly.
3. And the Catholic
faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in
Unity;
4. Neither
confounding the persons nor dividing the substance.
5. For there is one
person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy
Spirit.
6. But the Godhead
of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one, the
glory equal, the majesty coeternal.
7. Such as the
Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit.
8. The Father
uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated.
9. The Father
incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit
incomprehensible.
10. The Father
eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal.
11. And yet they are
not three eternals but one eternal.
12. As also there
are not three uncreated nor three incomprehensible, but one uncreated
and one incomprehensible.
13. So likewise the
Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Spirit almighty.
14. And yet they are
not three almighties, but one almighty.
15. So the Father is
God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God;
16. And yet they are
not three Gods, but one God.
17. So likewise the
Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit Lord;
18. And yet they are
not three Lords but one Lord.
19. For like as we
are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by
himself to be God and Lord;
20. So are we
forbidden by the Catholic religion to say; There are three Gods or
three Lords.
21. The Father is
made of none, neither created nor begotten.
22. The Son is of
the Father alone; not made nor created, but begotten.
23. The Holy Spirit
is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor
begotten, but proceeding.
24. So there is one
Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit,
not three Holy Spirits.
25. And in this
Trinity none is afore or after another; none is greater or less than
another.
26. But the whole
three persons are coeternal, and coequal.
27. So that in all
things, as aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity
is to be worshipped.
28. He therefore
that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity.
29. Furthermore it
is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe rightly
the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
30. For the right
faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Son of God, is God and man.
31. God of the
substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and man of
substance of His mother, born in the world.
32. Perfect God and
perfect man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting.
33. Equal to the
Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as
touching His manhood.
34. Who, although He
is God and man, yet He is not two, but one Christ.
35. One, not by
conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking of that manhood
into God.
36. One altogether,
not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person.
37. For as the
reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ;
38. Who suffered for
our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the
dead;
39. He ascended into
heaven, He sits on the right hand of the Father, God, Almighty;
40. From thence He
shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
41. At whose coming
all men shall rise again with their bodies;
42. and shall give
account of their own works.
43. And they that
have done good shall go into life everlasting and they that have done
evil into everlasting fire.
44. This is the
Catholic faith, which except a man believe faithfully he cannot be
saved.
