Page:SermonsFromTheLatins.djvu/291

 Church — and for  that  it  is  only  necessary  that  one  be baptized — either  by  baptism  of  water,  desire  or blood — and  that  he  be  in  a  state  of  grace. It matters not  whether  he  be  Protestant  or  infidel — Indian, Chinaman, or  negro — it  matters  not  how  ignorant  or savage  he  may  be — so  long  as  he  lives  up  to  the lights God  has  given,  and  desires  to  do  and  does  all that he  knows  or  considers  necessary  to  secure  happiness in  the  next  life — he  belongs  to  the  soul  of  the Catholic Church  and  as  such  he  will  be  saved. Hence, the  good  Protestant  who  thinks  his  church the true  church  and  lives  as  well  as  he  can  according to  her  doctrine;  the  Pagan,  groping  eagerly  in the  darkness  of  error  for  the  light  of  God's  truth,  and willing to  follow  it,  when  found,  whithersoever  it  may lead; aye,  and  the  poor  Indian,  laying  him  down  to die  in  the  woods  and  lifting  up  his  mind  and  heart  in one  last  appeal  to  the  Great  White  Father  to  have pity on  him  and  bring  him  into  the  happy  hunting-grounds — each  and  all  of  these  belong  to  the  soul  of the  Catholic  Church  and  as  such  are  saved. Comparatively few, therefore,  are  so  outside  the  Catholic Church as  to  be  without  hope  of  salvation. They are, first, unbaptized  infants;  second,  persons  who  know the Catholic  to  be  the  true  Church  but  neglect  or  refuse to  join  her;  third,  all  persons  whatsoever,  who live and  die  in  mortal  sin. To them  and  them  only, applies in  full  force  the  saying,  that  outside  the Catholic Church  there  is  no  salvation.

But, you  say,  if  every  good  man  belongs  to  the soul of  the  Catholic  Church  and,  as  such,  stands  a