Page:Prayerbookforrel00lasa 0.djvu/43



, N.N.,  having  before  my  eyes  the  holy  Gospels,  which I touch  with  my  hand,  and  knowing  that  no  one  can be saved  without  that  faith  which  the  Holy,  Catholic, Apostolic Roman  Church  holds,  believes,  and  teaches, against which  I  grieve  that  I  have  greatly  erred,  inasmuch as I  have  held  and  believed  doctrines  opposed  to  her teaching.

I now,  with  grief  and  contrition  for  my  past  errors, profess that  I  believe  the  Holy,  Catholic,  Apostolic  Roman Church  to  be  the  only  and  true  Church Out  of  the  Catholic  Church  none  can  be  saved. This proposition, which  highly  displeases  all  sectarians  and  infidels,  is  not only clearly  established  by  the  authority  of  Scripture,  and  by  the perpetual and  constant  belief  of  the  Catholic  Church,  but  it  is also  evident  from  reason  itself,  so  that  one  must  needs  be  blind who does  not  perceive  its  truth. This, however,  applies  only  to those  persons  who  culpably  and  wilfully  adhere  to  heresy,  or schism,  or  infidelity,  but  by  no  means  to  those  who  have  been imbued with  errors  and  prejudices  from  their  earliest  years,  and to whom  not  even  a  doubt  occurs  that  they  are  involved  in  heresy or schism,  or  who,  if  any  doubt  arises  in  their  minds,  earnestly and sincerely  seek  after  the  truth;  such  persons  we  leave  to  the judgment of  God,  to  whom  it  belongs  to  penetrate  and  search the thoughts  and  dispositions  of  hearts. For it  is  incompatible with the  divine  goodness  and  clemency  that  any  one  should  suffer eternal torments  who  is  not  guilty  of  a  wilful  transgression. To assert the  contrary  would  be  against  the  express  doctrine  of  the Church.

"Let us  hear  St.  Augustine:  'We  must  not,'  says  he,  'class among  heretics  those  persons  who,  without  wilful  obstinacy,  maintain a  false  and  perverse  doctrine,  especially  if  it  is  not  the  offspring of  their  bold  presumption,  but  a  legacy  from  their  deceived and  mistaken  parents,  and  who  search  after  the  truth  with  earnest care,  being  disposed  to  renounce  their  error  as  soon  as  they  are apprised  of  it.' — Epist.  43,  Edit.  Benedict,  alias  162.    A  long  list of  other  Fathers  might  be  cited  who  are  of  the  same  opinion ... It follows  from  what  has  been  said  that  every  one  is  bound,  to  the best  of  his  power,  to  consider  the  doubts  which  sometimes  occur to  him,  and  to  investigate  the  truth,  and  when  he  has  found  it,  to embrace  it  without  delay;  unless  he  wish  to  live  under  an  habitual and most  grievous  guilt,  and,  by  deferring  his  conversion,  expose himself to  a  manifest  danger  of  eternal  damnation." established